Susquehanna Increases Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target to $285.00

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its price target boosted by Susquehanna from $280.00 to $285.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the railroad operator’s stock.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $251.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $241.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $267.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $274.16.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 1.3 %

NYSE NSC opened at $256.98 on Wednesday. Norfolk Southern has a one year low of $183.09 and a one year high of $263.66. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $248.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $236.88. The firm has a market cap of $58.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.38, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.31. 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 (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.25 EPS 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 company 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 firm’s revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern will post 11.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Alan H. Shaw sold 51,325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.98, for a total value of $13,138,173.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 35,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,970,819.10. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Alan H. Shaw sold 51,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 35,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,970,819.10. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Nabanita C. Nag sold 355 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total transaction of $88,529.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,488 shares in the company, valued at $371,077.44. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 72.7% during the first quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 2,900 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $739,000 after acquiring an additional 1,221 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 6.4% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 41,527 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $10,584,000 after buying an additional 2,483 shares during the last quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 16.4% during the first quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC now owns 1,063 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $268,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO boosted its position in Norfolk Southern by 3.0% during the first quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO now owns 1,477 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $376,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 1st quarter worth approximately $56,144,000. 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.