Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $265.17.

Several research firms recently commented on NSC. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $276.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their target price on Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Susquehanna lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $251.00 to $253.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $175.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Monday, July 8th.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.8 %

NYSE NSC opened at $248.50 on Tuesday. Norfolk Southern has a one year low of $183.09 and a one year high of $263.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.63. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $245.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $237.17. The company has a market cap of $56.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.31.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.04 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 14.85% and a return on equity of 19.64%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.95 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern will post 11.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Friday, August 2nd were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.17%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 86.96%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Nabanita C. Nag sold 355 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total value of $88,529.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,488 shares in the company, valued at $371,077.44. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, Director Richard H. Anderson bought 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 29th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $247.48 per share, for a total transaction of $494,960.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 3,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $742,440. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Nabanita C. Nag sold 355 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total value of $88,529.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $371,077.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 956 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $226,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. now owns 1,516 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $325,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Blue Chip Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Chip Partners LLC now owns 7,716 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,656,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 12.4% during the second quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 381 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $82,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 3.0% in the first quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO now owns 1,477 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $376,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norfolk Southern Company Profile

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.