Rothschild & Co Redburn Issues Positive Forecast for Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Stock Price

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its target price boosted by Rothschild & Co Redburn from $308.00 to $315.00 in a research note released on Wednesday morning,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the railroad operator’s stock.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Argus raised shares of Norfolk Southern to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $322.00 to $313.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $296.00 to $292.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $320.67.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NSC stock traded up $1.36 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $313.48. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 335,982 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,274,184. The stock has a market cap of $70.40 billion, a PE ratio of 26.41, a P/E/G ratio of 5.89 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Norfolk Southern has a fifty-two week low of $218.05 and a fifty-two week high of $323.37. The company’s 50 day moving average is $299.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $294.20.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.49 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.13 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 18.30%. Norfolk Southern’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.69 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 12.11 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.49%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Park Place Capital Corp raised its stake in Norfolk Southern by 13,000.0% during the 3rd quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 3,668 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,102,000 after acquiring an additional 3,640 shares in the last quarter. Cullen Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 31.8% in the third quarter. Cullen Capital Management LLC now owns 121,351 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $36,455,000 after purchasing an additional 29,264 shares during the period. Markel Group Inc. increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 8.5% in the third quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 256,500 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $77,055,000 after purchasing an additional 20,000 shares during the period. Picton Mahoney Asset Management acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at $24,033,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth about $2,165,000. 75.10% of the stock is 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.