Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Receives $275.68 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation and thirteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $275.68.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on NSC shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. TD Cowen increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $283.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $289.00 to $309.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Norfolk Southern stock opened at $268.95 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $60.85 billion, a PE ratio of 25.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $253.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $239.96. Norfolk Southern has a 12 month low of $206.71 and a 12 month high of $277.60.

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

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

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

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.