Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty-two ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $348.00.

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Stephens upgraded Norfolk Southern to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings raised Norfolk Southern from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $316.00 to $338.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $310.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,825,837 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $6,012,836,000 after purchasing an additional 272,651 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the second quarter valued at approximately $5,033,549,000. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,710,549 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,803,630,000 after buying an additional 379,819 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,878,029 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,401,797,000 after buying an additional 36,205 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,084,701,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.0%

NSC stock opened at $334.08 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $75.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.92 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $323.24 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $310.50. Norfolk Southern has a one year low of $268.23 and a one year high of $358.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.32 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $3.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.38 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.02% and a return on equity of 18.21%. Norfolk Southern’s quarterly revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.29 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern will post 12.66 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 7th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.08%.

Norfolk Southern Company Profile

Norfolk Southern Corporation is a major U.S. freight railroad company that provides rail transportation and related logistics services. As a Class I carrier, the company operates an extensive network across the eastern United States and offers scheduled freight service for a broad range of industries. Its core operations include long-haul and regional rail freight transportation, intermodal services that move containers and trailers between rail and other modes, and terminal and switching services that support efficient rail shipments for industrial and port customers.

The company transports a variety of commodities, serving sectors such as coal and energy, automotive and automotive parts, chemicals, agriculture, metals and construction materials, and consumer goods.