Analysts Set Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Price Target at $275.68

Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the nineteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have given a hold recommendation and thirteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $275.68.

NSC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $283.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Benchmark increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $241.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Loop Capital increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Norfolk Southern news, CEO Alan H. Shaw sold 51,325 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 35,045 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,970,819.10. This represents a 59.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $255.00 per share, with a total value of $255,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,550,000. This represents a 11.11 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at $25,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the second quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 0.2 %

NSC traded down $0.61 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $259.10. 922,539 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,251,466. Norfolk Southern has a 1 year low of $206.71 and a 1 year high of $277.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.73. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $253.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $239.27. The firm has a market cap of $58.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.11 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.08 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.25% and a net margin of 19.85%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.65 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 11.82 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business 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 dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 1st. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is 50.70%.

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.