Analysts Set Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Target Price at $274.16

Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have given a hold recommendation and thirteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $274.16.

A number of research firms recently commented on NSC. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $294.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $291.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Benchmark boosted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $289.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NSC opened at $253.59 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The company has a market capitalization of $57.37 billion, a PE ratio of 23.81, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.31. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $249.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $236.82. Norfolk Southern has a twelve month low of $184.62 and a twelve month high of $263.66.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.11 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.08 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 19.85% and a return on equity of 20.25%. Norfolk Southern’s revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.65 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern will post 11.82 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st will be given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 1st. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.13%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $245.15 per share, for a total transaction of $171,605.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 7,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,887,655. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Norfolk Southern news, CEO Alan H. Shaw sold 51,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.98, for a total transaction of $13,138,173.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 35,045 shares in the company, valued at $8,970,819.10. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $245.15 per share, with a total value of $171,605.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 7,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,887,655. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC boosted its position in Norfolk Southern by 25,181.8% during the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 893,459 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $222,025,000 after buying an additional 889,925 shares during the period. Seven Eight Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the second quarter valued at about $1,676,000. Dakota Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.1% during the third quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 7,206 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,791,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the second quarter valued at about $13,627,000. Finally, Broderick Brian C bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the first quarter valued at about $956,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.