Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Receives $276.63 Average PT from Brokerages

Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the nineteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $274.84.

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Stephens lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $285.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, January 30th.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere purchased 607 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 2,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $646,271.82. The trade was a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NSC opened at $230.41 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The company has a market cap of $52.17 billion, a PE ratio of 19.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $245.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $249.08. Norfolk Southern has a 12 month low of $206.71 and a 12 month high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.71%.

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.