Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Announces Earnings Results

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) issued its earnings results on Wednesday. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.07, Zacks reports. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.25% and a net margin of 19.85%. Norfolk Southern updated its FY 2025 guidance to EPS.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 4.4 %

NYSE:NSC traded up $10.99 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $263.31. 516,565 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,179,647. The firm has a market cap of $59.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.68, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.34. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $249.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $248.64. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. Norfolk Southern has a fifty-two week low of $206.71 and a fifty-two week high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.05%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on NSC. Benchmark boosted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $289.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $263.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $275.68.

Insider Activity at Norfolk Southern

In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 350 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $249.37 per share, with a total value of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,580,979.50. This trade represents a 3.50 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the rail transportation of raw materials, intermediate products, and finished goods in the United States. The company transports agriculture, forest, and consumer products comprising soybeans, wheat, corn, fertilizers, livestock and poultry feed, food products, food oils, flour, sweeteners, ethanol, lumber and wood products, pulp board and paper products, wood fibers, wood pulp, beverages, and canned goods; chemicals consist of sulfur and related chemicals, petroleum products comprising crude oil, chlorine and bleaching compounds, plastics, rubber, industrial chemicals, chemical wastes, sand, and natural gas liquids; metals and construction materials, such as steel, aluminum products, machinery, scrap metals, cement, aggregates, minerals, clay, transportation equipment, and military-related products; and automotive, including finished motor vehicles and automotive parts, as well as coal.