Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) Receives $348.00 Average PT from Brokerages

Shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the twenty-two analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $348.00.

Several analysts have recently commented on NSC shares. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $360.00 to $377.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Evercore set a $358.00 price objective on Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $310.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $337.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Norfolk Southern from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,706 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $400,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 40.4% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,447 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,527,000 after purchasing an additional 1,855 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the second quarter valued at about $327,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its stake in Norfolk Southern by 64.1% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 4,275 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,094,000 after buying an additional 1,670 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 185.1% during the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 4,588 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,174,000 after purchasing an additional 2,979 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE NSC opened at $334.86 on Friday. Norfolk Southern has a 1-year low of $268.23 and a 1-year high of $358.60. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $322.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $309.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.95 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.52 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.32 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $3.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.38 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.21% and a net margin of 21.02%.The firm’s revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.29 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 12.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 7th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.08%.

About Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Corporation is a major U.S. freight railroad company that provides rail transportation and related logistics services. As a Class I carrier, the company operates an extensive network across the eastern United States and offers scheduled freight service for a broad range of industries. Its core operations include long-haul and regional rail freight transportation, intermodal services that move containers and trailers between rail and other modes, and terminal and switching services that support efficient rail shipments for industrial and port customers.

The company transports a variety of commodities, serving sectors such as coal and energy, automotive and automotive parts, chemicals, agriculture, metals and construction materials, and consumer goods.