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

Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $276.63.

Several brokerages recently commented on NSC. Stephens boosted 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. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $293.00 price objective for the company. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 1.9 %

NYSE:NSC opened at $236.11 on Tuesday. Norfolk Southern has a 1 year low of $206.71 and a 1 year high of $277.60. The business has a fifty day moving average of $246.01 and a 200-day moving average of $249.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.90. The stock has a market cap of $53.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.42, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 predict that Norfolk Southern will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was bought 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 $646,271.82. This represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 3.6% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 255,200 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $63,417,000 after buying an additional 8,844 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,796,000. Grandview Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth $918,000. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 5,678 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,333,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clarendon Private LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $309,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.