Analysts Set Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) Price Target at $308.95

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty-five analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight 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 $308.95.

NSC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Norfolk Southern from $301.00 to $296.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Wolfe Research increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $361.00 to $368.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $299.00 to $317.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Argus upgraded Norfolk Southern to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. ORG Partners LLC boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 75.0% during the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 84 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 207.1% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 86 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 933.3% during the fourth quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 93 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MMA Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE NSC opened at $290.74 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. Norfolk Southern has a 12 month low of $201.63 and a 12 month high of $319.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.29 billion, a PE ratio of 22.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.22 and a beta of 1.31. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $300.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $292.33.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.46. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 23.59% and a return on equity of 18.78%. The firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.04 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 42.35%.

Norfolk Southern Company Profile

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.