Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the twenty-two research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $267.48.

Several brokerages have recently commented on NSC. Citigroup cut their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $259.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started 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 for the company. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $247.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $260.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NYSE:NSC traded up $0.50 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $262.50. The stock had a trading volume of 928,463 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,233,834. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $242.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $239.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.70. Norfolk Southern has a one year low of $201.63 and a one year high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.72 by ($0.03). Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.65% and a net margin of 27.40%. The business had revenue of $2.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.49 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.06%. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.89%.

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.