Brokerages Set Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Target Price at $275.68

Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the nineteen research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $275.68.

Several analysts recently issued reports on NSC shares. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Benchmark lifted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Loop Capital boosted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd.

Insider Activity at Norfolk Southern

In related news, CEO Alan H. Shaw sold 51,325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.98, for a total transaction of $13,138,173.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 35,045 shares in the company, valued at $8,970,819.10. This trade represents a 59.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 1,000 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $255.00 per share, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $2,550,000. This trade represents a 11.11 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Coastline Trust Co purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 1.8 %

NSC opened at $268.95 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $60.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $253.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $239.85. 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 1-year low of $206.71 and a 1-year high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.11 by $0.14. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.25% and a net margin of 19.85%. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.65 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Norfolk Southern will post 11.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.70%.

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.