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

Shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty-two ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $348.00.

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Susquehanna lifted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $337.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $365.00 to $385.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $363.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $360.00 to $377.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Stephens upgraded Norfolk Southern to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of NSC. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Norfolk Southern by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,706 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $400,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 40.4% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,447 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,527,000 after acquiring an additional 1,855 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter worth about $327,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 64.1% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 4,275 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,094,000 after purchasing an additional 1,670 shares during the period. Finally, Jump Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 185.1% in the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 4,588 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,174,000 after purchasing an additional 2,979 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NSC stock opened at $338.45 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $76.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.88, a PEG ratio of 5.94 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $324.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $311.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.83. Norfolk Southern has a 52-week low of $268.23 and a 52-week high of $358.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.32 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $3.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.38 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.02% and a return on equity of 18.21%. Norfolk Southern’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.29 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 12.66 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 7th will be given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 7th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 46.08%.

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.