Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a “Hold” consensus on Norfolk Southern, with 15 hold ratings and seven buys among 22 analysts. The average 12-month price target is $348.
• Norfolk Southern exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $3.52 in EPS and $3.46 billion in revenue, with revenue up 12.5% year over year.
• The company pays a quarterly dividend of $1.35 per share, equivalent to a $5.40 annualized payout and a 1.6% yield; institutional investors own 75.1% of the stock.

Shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the twenty-two ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $348.00.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Norfolk Southern from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $316.00 to $338.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Stephens raised shares of Norfolk Southern to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Evercore set a $358.00 target price on Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:NSC opened at $343.21 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The business's 50 day moving average is $333.67 and its 200 day moving average is $315.27. The stock has a market cap of $77.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.23 and a beta of 1.27. Norfolk Southern has a 52-week low of $268.23 and a 52-week high of $358.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.32 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $3.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.38 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.21% and a net margin of 21.02%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.29 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Norfolk Southern will post 12.74 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 20th. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 7th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is presently 46.08%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 1st quarter valued at about $3,272,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 43,408 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $12,533,000 after purchasing an additional 3,887 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the second quarter valued at about $3,669,000. SCS Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter valued at about $13,837,000. Finally, Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the second quarter valued at $1,376,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Norfolk Southern

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.

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