Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target Raised to $315.00

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its price target upped by Robert W. Baird from $288.00 to $315.00 in a report released on Friday morning,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the railroad operator’s stock.

NSC has been the subject of several other reports. Wolfe Research boosted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $361.00 to $368.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Zacks Research upgraded Norfolk Southern from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $347.00 to $333.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eighteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $308.95.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NSC opened at $303.02 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $300.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $291.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.85. Norfolk Southern has a 1 year low of $201.63 and a 1 year high of $319.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.05 billion, a PE ratio of 23.77, a P/E/G ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 1.31.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.46. The firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 23.59% and a return on equity of 18.78%. Norfolk Southern’s revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.04 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.35%.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. ORG Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 207.1% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 86 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, GoalVest Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 933.3% in the 4th quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 93 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Company Profile

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.