Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the nineteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $274.84.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Loop Capital downgraded shares of Norfolk Southern from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 2.0 %

Norfolk Southern stock traded down $4.80 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $230.41. The stock had a trading volume of 835,254 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,209,205. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. Norfolk Southern has a one year low of $206.71 and a one year high of $277.60. The stock has a market cap of $52.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $245.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $249.32.

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Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. On average, equities analysts predict that Norfolk Southern will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is presently 46.71%.

Insider Activity at Norfolk Southern

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere purchased 607 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,487 shares of the company's stock, valued at $646,271.82. This represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NSC. Fire Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at about $352,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 23,882 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $5,605,000 after buying an additional 820 shares during the last quarter. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $141,000. 111 Capital purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth approximately $939,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 53.4% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 68,681 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $16,119,000 after acquiring an additional 23,918 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.