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

Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nineteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation and thirteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $275.68.

NSC has been the subject of several research reports. TD Cowen upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $272.00 to $282.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $241.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $263.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 0.8 %

Norfolk Southern stock traded down $2.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $246.22. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,068,328 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,245,537. The stock has a market cap of $55.70 billion, a PE ratio of 23.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.31. Norfolk Southern has a one year low of $206.71 and a one 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 company has a 50 day moving average of $259.16 and a 200-day moving average of $243.64.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.11 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.08 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 19.85% and a return on equity of 20.25%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.65 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern will post 11.82 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was acquired at an average price 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,550,000. This trade represents a 11.11 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NSC. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth about $30,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Coastline Trust Co acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company's stock.

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.