Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Stock Rating Upgraded by Baird R W

Baird R W upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) to a hold rating in a report published on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Tuesday. They set a "neutral" rating and a $255.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $269.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $271.00 to $270.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $247.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $267.48.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NYSE NSC traded down $0.42 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $261.96. The company had a trading volume of 2,002,649 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,234,321. The company has a market capitalization of $59.06 billion, a PE ratio of 17.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.31. Norfolk Southern has a twelve month low of $201.63 and a twelve month high of $277.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $241.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $239.31.

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

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 is presently 36.89%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NSC. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,706 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $400,000 after buying an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 154.5% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 16,986 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $3,987,000 after purchasing an additional 10,311 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth approximately $125,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 19,532 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $4,584,000 after purchasing an additional 1,015 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,414,571 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $332,000,000 after buying an additional 40,662 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.