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

Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $276.63.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $293.00 target price on the stock. Stephens upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock opened at $236.11 on Tuesday. Norfolk Southern has a 12-month low of $206.71 and a 12-month high of $277.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $246.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $249.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.42, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. Equities analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.71%.

Insider Activity at Norfolk Southern

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere purchased 607 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NSC. United Bank boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 2.4% in the third quarter. United Bank now owns 8,875 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,205,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 33,359 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $8,290,000 after purchasing an additional 1,783 shares during the period. Meridian Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth about $440,000. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,718 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,166,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 6.4% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,985 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $493,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.