Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target Raised to $270.00 at Loop Capital

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its price objective raised by Loop Capital from $261.00 to $270.00 in a research report report published on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the railroad operator’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the company. Susquehanna cut their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. TheStreet upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a research note on Thursday, December 21st. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut Norfolk Southern from an equal weight rating to an underweight rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $185.00 to $175.00 in a report on Monday, January 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $262.74.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NSC stock opened at $240.12 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $253.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $230.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. Norfolk Southern has a 1 year low of $183.09 and a 1 year high of $263.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.94, a PEG ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The railroad operator reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by ($0.04). Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 15.03% and a return on equity of 21.06%. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.42 EPS. Norfolk Southern’s revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Norfolk Southern will post 11.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 2nd were paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 1st. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.25%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.33%.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NSC. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 956 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $226,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 1,016 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $240,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Fiduciary Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Group LLC now owns 9,986 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,360,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 7,456 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,762,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 1,679 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $397,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

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.