By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Benchmark reiterated their buy rating on shares of Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC – Free Report) in a research note published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $285.00 price target on the railroad operator’s stock.
Several other research firms have also commented on NSC. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price 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. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $274.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $277.74.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on NSC
Norfolk Southern Stock Performance
NYSE NSC opened at $257.50 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.65. Norfolk Southern has a 1 year low of $206.71 and a 1 year high of $277.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.26 billion, a PE ratio of 22.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.34. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $249.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $248.69.
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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.50%. Analysts predict that Norfolk Southern will post 13.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is currently 46.71%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern
In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 350 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $249.37 per share, with a total value of $87,279.50. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 10,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,580,979.50. This trade represents a 3.50 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 stock. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Coastline Trust Co bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter worth about $32,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by 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.
Further Reading
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