Analysts Set Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) Target Price at $326.72

Shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty-four analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $328.00.

NSC has been the topic of several analyst reports. Susquehanna increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $337.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $331.00 to $316.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. UBS Group set a $327.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Norfolk Southern from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NSC opened at $327.89 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Norfolk Southern has a 12 month low of $257.49 and a 12 month high of $329.38. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $313.74 and its 200-day moving average is $303.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.64 billion, a PE ratio of 27.62, a P/E/G ratio of 5.97 and a beta of 1.27.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.13 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.69 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern will post 12.24 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.49%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,706 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $400,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 40.4% during the first 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 in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at $327,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 64.1% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 4,275 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,094,000 after acquiring an additional 1,670 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 185.1% during the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 4,588 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,174,000 after acquiring an additional 2,979 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Norfolk Southern

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.