Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.07 EPS

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The railroad operator reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.07, Zacks reports. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 19.85% and a return on equity of 20.25%. Norfolk Southern updated its FY 2025 guidance to EPS.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 1.8 %

NYSE NSC opened at $256.78 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.65. Norfolk Southern has a 12 month low of $206.71 and a 12 month high of $277.60. The company has a market capitalization of $58.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.11, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.34. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $249.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $248.64.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.10%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on NSC. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $263.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $274.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Loop Capital increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $277.39.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 350 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $249.37 per share, with a total value of $87,279.50. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 10,350 shares in the company, valued at $2,580,979.50. The trade was a 3.50 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.