Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty-five brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $303.5238.

Several brokerages have recently commented on NSC. Weiss Ratings downgraded Norfolk Southern from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 25th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $299.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Norfolk Southern from $303.00 to $301.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $325.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $321.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 24th.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock opened at $290.09 on Monday. Norfolk Southern has a 1-year low of $201.63 and a 1-year high of $302.24. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $289.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $284.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.09 billion, a PE ratio of 22.13, a P/E/G ratio of 5.09 and a beta of 1.33.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.11 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 24.22% and a return on equity of 18.93%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.25 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 7th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 7th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.19%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director William Jr. Clyburn purchased 204 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The shares were bought at an average price of $294.79 per share, for a total transaction of $60,137.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 405 shares in the company, valued at $119,389.95. This represents a 101.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 1,650 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $282.97 per share, with a total value of $466,900.50. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 12,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,395,640. This represents a 15.94% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have acquired 4,454 shares of company stock valued at $1,259,874. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. Tritonpoint Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Tritonpoint Wealth LLC now owns 1,041 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $313,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management now owns 5,986 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,798,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 2,515 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $726,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 75.0% during the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 84 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Princeton Global Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.3% during the second quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 1,640 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $420,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

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.