Norfolk Southern (NSC) to Release Earnings on Wednesday

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) will likely be releasing its earnings data before the market opens on Wednesday, April 23rd. Analysts expect Norfolk Southern to post earnings of $2.87 per share and revenue of $3.01 billion for the quarter. Norfolk Southern has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS.Individual that wish to register for the company's earnings conference call can do so using this link.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. On average, analysts expect Norfolk Southern to post $13 EPS for the current fiscal year and $15 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NSC traded up $5.96 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $219.99. 1,362,718 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,253,317. The stock has a market cap of $54.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $233.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $245.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.82. Norfolk Southern has a 12 month low of $201.63 and a 12 month high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.45%. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is currently 46.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NSC has been the topic of several research reports. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $285.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Stephens increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $293.00 price objective for the company. Susquehanna dropped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $268.79.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares of the company's stock, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

An institutional investor recently raised its position in Norfolk Southern stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 4.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,706 shares of the railroad operator's stock after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the quarter. Brighton Jones LLC's holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $400,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

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.