Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the twenty brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have given a hold recommendation and twelve have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $266.50.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $247.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $293.00 target price on the stock. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $285.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $250.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,694,573 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,098,472,000 after buying an additional 113,648 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth about $1,796,000. Grandview Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth about $918,000. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 5,678 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,333,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clarendon Private LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $309,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 1.0%

NSC stock traded down $2.34 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $243.76. 894,540 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,207,018. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $226.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $242.37. Norfolk Southern has a 1-year low of $201.63 and a 1-year high of $277.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.90. The company has a market cap of $54.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.72 by ($0.03). Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. The company had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.49 earnings per share. Norfolk Southern's revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.22%. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is 36.89%.

About Norfolk Southern

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.