Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Receives $277.74 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $276.11.

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $289.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NSC opened at $249.20 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. Norfolk Southern has a 12-month low of $206.71 and a 12-month high of $277.60. The business has a 50 day moving average of $247.05 and a 200-day moving average of $249.50. The stock has a market cap of $56.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.56, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.35.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 13.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors 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 2.17%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,580,979.50. This represents a 3.50 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere purchased 607 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were bought at an average price of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NSC. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 12.8% during the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 73,589 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $17,271,000 after purchasing an additional 8,340 shares in the last quarter. Saturna Capital Corp raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Saturna Capital Corp now owns 4,175 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $980,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its position in Norfolk Southern by 42.6% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 286,937 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $67,344,000 after buying an additional 85,766 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 15.5% during the 4th quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 5,241 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,230,000 after acquiring an additional 703 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sage Mountain Advisors LLC increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 2,225 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $522,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

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.