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

Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $262.89.

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $261.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $270.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $245.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 13th.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock opened at $209.90 on Friday. Norfolk Southern has a 12-month low of $183.09 and a 12-month high of $263.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The business’s 50 day moving average is $228.23 and its 200-day moving average is $239.07. The stock has a market cap of $47.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.31.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.58 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 11.76% and a return on equity of 19.61%. The business’s revenue was down 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.32 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Norfolk Southern will post 11.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 3rd were given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.57%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 2nd. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is presently 86.96%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 14th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $219.25 per share, for a total transaction of $438,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,534,750. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 14th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $219.25 per share, with a total value of $438,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 7,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,534,750. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CMO Claude E. Elkins sold 8,329 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.43, for a total transaction of $1,902,593.47. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NSC. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted 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 valued at $226,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 1,016 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $240,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Group LLC increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Group LLC now owns 9,986 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,360,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 7,456 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,762,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 1,679 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $397,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

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.