Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Announces Earnings Results

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.07, Zacks reports. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 19.85% and a return on equity of 20.25%. Norfolk Southern updated its FY 2025 guidance to EPS.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 1.8 %

NYSE NSC opened at $256.78 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $249.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $248.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.65. Norfolk Southern has a one year low of $206.71 and a one year high of $277.60. The firm has a market cap of $58.09 billion, a PE ratio of 24.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.34.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is currently 50.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NSC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $283.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $274.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $277.39.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Norfolk Southern Company Profile

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.