Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.09 EPS

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The railroad operator reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.58 by ($0.09), Briefing.com reports. The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 15.03% and a return on equity of 21.06%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.32 earnings per share.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.6 %

NSC stock traded up $1.30 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $237.52. 518,060 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,271,776. The company has a market cap of $58.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.40, a P/E/G ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.30. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $252.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $232.12. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. Norfolk Southern has a 52 week low of $183.09 and a 52 week high of $263.66.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.27%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on NSC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $277.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Monday, April 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $300.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, Loop Capital lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $261.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $262.32.

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.