Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Releases Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.09 EPS

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) issued its earnings results on Wednesday. The railroad operator reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.58 by ($0.09), Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.61% and a net margin of 11.76%. Norfolk Southern’s revenue was down 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.32 EPS.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Norfolk Southern stock traded down $0.31 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $240.52. 224,743 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,276,038. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.22 billion, a PE ratio of 38.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern has a fifty-two week low of $183.09 and a fifty-two week high of $263.66. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $252.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $232.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 0.68.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 2nd. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 86.96%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on NSC shares. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Norfolk Southern in a research report on Monday, April 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $300.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $270.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $294.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Loop Capital raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $261.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $262.32.

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.