Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Announces Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.09 EPS

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The railroad operator reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.58 by ($0.09), Briefing.com reports. The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.05 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 21.06% and a net margin of 15.03%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.32 EPS.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NYSE:NSC traded up $4.47 on Thursday, reaching $240.69. The stock had a trading volume of 1,854,411 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,287,560. The company has a market capitalization of $59.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern has a 1-year low of $183.09 and a 1-year high of $263.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $252.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $232.12.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $300.00 price target on the stock. Loop Capital increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $261.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. UBS Group reduced their price target on Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $294.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Susquehanna reduced their price target on Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $236.00 to $253.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $262.32.

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.