Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) PT Raised to $287.00

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its target price hoisted by Loop Capital from $285.00 to $287.00 in a report issued on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. Loop Capital currently has a buy rating on the railroad operator’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. TD Cowen upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $251.00 to $253.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $263.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays raised their price target on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Susquehanna upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $274.16.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NSC stock opened at $256.98 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $248.76 and its 200-day moving average is $236.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.63. Norfolk Southern has a 52 week low of $183.09 and a 52 week high of $263.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.06 billion, a PE ratio of 41.38, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.31.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.11 by $0.14. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 14.85% and a return on equity of 19.64%. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.65 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 11.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 1st. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 86.96%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In other news, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $245.15 per share, for a total transaction of $171,605.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 7,700 shares in the company, valued at $1,887,655. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 700 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $245.15 per share, with a total value of $171,605.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,700 shares in the company, valued at $1,887,655. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Alan H. Shaw sold 51,325 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.98, for a total transaction of $13,138,173.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 35,045 shares in the company, valued at $8,970,819.10. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cedar Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the first quarter valued at $27,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Hobbs Group Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Company Profile

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.