Brokerages Set Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Price Target at $274.16

Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the nineteen ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One 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 target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $274.16.

Several research firms recently weighed in on NSC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $283.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $272.00 to $282.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Benchmark upped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $241.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 0.9 %

Norfolk Southern stock traded down $2.33 during trading on Friday, reaching $251.09. The stock had a trading volume of 1,027,380 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,259,482. Norfolk Southern has a 52-week low of $183.76 and a 52-week high of $263.66. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $249.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $237.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The stock has a market cap of $56.77 billion, a PE ratio of 23.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.31.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.11 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 19.85% and a return on equity of 20.25%. The company's revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.65 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Norfolk Southern will post 11.78 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 1st. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.70%.

Insider Activity

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $245.15 per share, for a total transaction of $171,605.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 7,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,887,655. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Nabanita C. Nag sold 355 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total transaction of $88,529.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,488 shares of the company's stock, valued at $371,077.44. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $245.15 per share, for a total transaction of $171,605.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 7,700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,887,655. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders acquired 3,700 shares of company stock valued at $921,565 in the last three months. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 5.9% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,623,690 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $5,001,490,000 after acquiring an additional 1,088,072 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,986,180 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,525,699,000 after purchasing an additional 124,362 shares in the last quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 3,789,436 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $813,554,000 after purchasing an additional 37,386 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 17.3% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,356,590 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $720,626,000 after purchasing an additional 496,088 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 157.1% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,890,665 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $735,749,000 after buying an additional 1,766,135 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.