Analysts Set Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) Target Price at $307.89

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty-four brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $307.8947.

Several analysts have commented on NSC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $301.00 to $296.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Wolfe Research boosted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $361.00 to $368.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Evercore boosted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $299.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $310.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NSC stock opened at $288.16 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $70.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.60, a PEG ratio of 5.25 and a beta of 1.31. Norfolk Southern has a 52 week low of $201.63 and a 52 week high of $319.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $299.90 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $293.15.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.46. The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.03 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 23.59% and a return on equity of 18.78%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.04 EPS. Analysts predict that Norfolk Southern will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.35%.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NSC. ORG Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 75.0% during the 3rd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 84 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 207.1% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 86 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, GoalVest Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 933.3% during the 4th quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 93 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.