Analysts Set Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) PT at $277.74

Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $276.11.

NSC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Bank of America lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $291.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Susquehanna cut their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE:NSC opened at $252.66 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. Norfolk Southern has a twelve month low of $206.71 and a twelve month high of $277.60. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $247.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $249.47.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 EPS 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 13.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 46.71%.

Insider Activity at Norfolk Southern

In other news, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,580,979.50. This trade represents a 3.50 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the third quarter worth $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.