Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the nineteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $262.32.

NSC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $185.00 to $175.00 in a report on Monday, January 29th. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $261.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Barclays raised shares of Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $255.00 to $305.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 21st.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NYSE NSC opened at $232.07 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.37, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.30. The company’s fifty day moving average is $248.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $234.41. Norfolk Southern has a 52-week low of $183.09 and a 52-week high of $263.66.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.58 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.61% and a net margin of 11.76%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.32 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern will post 11.62 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 86.96%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,933,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,444,000. Pathstone Family Office LLC grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 200.1% during the third quarter. Pathstone Family Office LLC now owns 16,077 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,198,000 after purchasing an additional 10,719 shares during the period. ClearBridge Investments Ltd acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,973,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 9.8% during the third quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 187,259 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $36,877,000 after purchasing an additional 16,727 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.