Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target Raised to $275.00 at Stephens

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its price target hoisted by Stephens from $260.00 to $275.00 in a research note published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the railroad operator’s stock.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Citigroup raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $272.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $289.00 to $309.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Bank of America increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $291.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Benchmark lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $277.74.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE:NSC opened at $257.50 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $58.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.34. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $249.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $248.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.73. Norfolk Southern has a one year low of $206.71 and a one year high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.50% and a net margin of 21.63%. Sell-side analysts predict that Norfolk Southern will post 13.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.10%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 350 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the purchase, the director now owns 10,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,580,979.50. This trade represents a 3.50 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hoge Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at $238,000. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 3,824 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $897,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the period. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $8,263,000. Principal Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 12.3% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 3,215 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $755,000 after purchasing an additional 351 shares during the period. Finally, bLong Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $235,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.