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

Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation and thirteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $266.56.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on NSC. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Monday, July 8th. Susquehanna boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $255.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $239.00 to $241.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $276.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NSC opened at $243.82 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $55.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.26, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.31. Norfolk Southern has a 1 year low of $183.09 and a 1 year high of $263.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $246.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $236.88.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.20. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.64% and a net margin of 14.85%. The firm had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.95 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern will post 11.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Friday, August 2nd were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.21%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 86.96%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, CEO Alan H. Shaw sold 51,325 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.98, for a total transaction of $13,138,173.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 35,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,970,819.10. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Norfolk Southern news, EVP Nabanita C. Nag sold 355 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total transaction of $88,529.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $371,077.44. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Alan H. Shaw sold 51,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.98, for a total value of $13,138,173.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 35,045 shares in the company, valued at $8,970,819.10. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Werlinich Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Werlinich Asset Management LLC now owns 4,009 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $996,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Bangor Savings Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 166.0% in the 3rd quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 250 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $229,000. Salvus Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Salvus Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,702 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,168,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fulton Bank N.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 8,181 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,033,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.