Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Sets New 52-Week Low - Time to Sell?

Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $201.63 and last traded at $206.08, with a volume of 563755 shares. The stock had previously closed at $210.93.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NSC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Loop Capital lowered Norfolk Southern from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $289.00 to $256.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $293.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $268.68.

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Norfolk Southern Stock Up 1.1 %

The firm has a market cap of $53.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $237.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $246.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.71%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth $547,575,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 25,555.7% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 989,796 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $234,433,000 after purchasing an additional 985,938 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 8,608,080 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $2,020,318,000 after purchasing an additional 918,559 shares during the period. Boston Partners lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 16.9% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,020,392 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $945,385,000 after purchasing an additional 580,293 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 293.7% during the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 671,680 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $157,643,000 after buying an additional 501,053 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.