Norfolk Southern’s (NSC) “Equal Weight” Rating Reaffirmed at Stephens

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC)‘s stock had its “equal weight” rating restated by equities researchers at Stephens in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $263.00 price target on the railroad operator’s stock. Stephens’ price objective indicates a potential upside of 3.78% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Monday, July 8th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $294.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $289.00 to $309.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $267.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $274.16.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Norfolk Southern stock opened at $253.42 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $57.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.31. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $248.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $236.88. Norfolk Southern has a fifty-two week low of $183.09 and a fifty-two week high of $263.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.73.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) 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 company had revenue of $3.10 billion for 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 revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.65 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 11.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Alan H. Shaw sold 51,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.98, for a total transaction of $13,138,173.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 35,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,970,819.10. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $245.15 per share, with a total value of $171,605.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 7,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,887,655. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Alan H. Shaw sold 51,325 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.98, for a total transaction of $13,138,173.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 35,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,970,819.10. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of NSC. Cedar Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the first quarter worth about $27,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the second quarter worth about $31,000. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Hobbs Group Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 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.