Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Sets New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $323.38 and last traded at $322.7420, with a volume of 68458 shares. The stock had previously closed at $320.22.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $322.00 to $313.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Susquehanna upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wolfe Research upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Benchmark reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $319.83.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 1.1%

The business has a 50 day moving average of $301.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $297.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market cap of $72.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.27, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly 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 return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 21.91%.The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.13 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.69 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 12.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 8th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 45.49%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,706 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $400,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 40.4% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,447 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,527,000 after buying an additional 1,855 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter worth $327,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 64.1% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 4,275 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,094,000 after buying an additional 1,670 shares during the period. Finally, Jump Financial LLC increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 185.1% during the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 4,588 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,174,000 after buying an additional 2,979 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

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.