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

Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation and twelve have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $268.79.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $259.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Stephens upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $646,271.82. The trade was a 32.29 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,200 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $521,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Grove Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 48.6% in the first quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 578 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $137,000 after buying an additional 189 shares during the period. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 22.1% during the 1st quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,614 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $856,000 after buying an additional 653 shares during the last quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 151.5% during the 1st quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 3,941 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $933,000 after acquiring an additional 2,374 shares during the period. Finally, Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 31,128 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $7,373,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 2.8 %

Shares of NSC stock opened at $219.99 on Friday. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average price of $233.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $245.74. Norfolk Southern has a 12-month low of $201.63 and a 12-month high of $277.60. The company has a market capitalization of $54.24 billion, a PE ratio of 19.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30.

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

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.45%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.71%.

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.