Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty-three ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $329.3529.

A number of research firms have weighed in on NSC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $331.00 to $316.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 10th. Susquehanna raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $337.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $308.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group set a $327.00 price target on Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Evercore set a $325.00 price objective on Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, April 24th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. BNP Paribas acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 933.3% during the 4th quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 93 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 239.3% during the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 95 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 669.2% during the 3rd quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 100 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NSC stock opened at $340.24 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $314.78 and a 200-day moving average of $304.41. The stock has a market cap of $76.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.66, a P/E/G ratio of 6.18 and a beta of 1.27. Norfolk Southern has a 52-week low of $268.23 and a 52-week high of $342.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.91.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.49 by $0.16. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 18.30%. The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.13 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.69 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern will post 12.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.49%.

Norfolk Southern Company Profile

Norfolk Southern Corporation is a major U.S. freight railroad company that provides rail transportation and related logistics services. As a Class I carrier, the company operates an extensive network across the eastern United States and offers scheduled freight service for a broad range of industries. Its core operations include long-haul and regional rail freight transportation, intermodal services that move containers and trailers between rail and other modes, and terminal and switching services that support efficient rail shipments for industrial and port customers.

The company transports a variety of commodities, serving sectors such as coal and energy, automotive and automotive parts, chemicals, agriculture, metals and construction materials, and consumer goods.