UBS Group Cuts Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target to $294.00

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) had its price target cut by UBS Group from $302.00 to $294.00 in a research report report published on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the railroad operator's stock.

NSC has been the topic of a number of other reports. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Norfolk Southern from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $272.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. Benchmark reissued a buy rating and set a $277.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $236.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $262.32.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE NSC traded up $4.47 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $240.69. 1,854,411 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,287,560. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.40, a PEG ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern has a 52-week low of $183.09 and a 52-week high of $263.66. The company's 50-day moving average is $252.34 and its 200-day moving average is $232.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.24.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.58 by ($0.09). Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 15.03% and a return on equity of 21.06%. The company had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.05 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.32 earnings per share. Norfolk Southern's revenue was down 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 11.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $556,797,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 69.0% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,723,398 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $536,319,000 after purchasing an additional 1,112,261 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 600.3% in the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 1,021,312 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $241,421,000 after buying an additional 875,473 shares in the last quarter. London Co. of Virginia boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 41.2% during the 3rd quarter. London Co. of Virginia now owns 1,976,871 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $389,305,000 after acquiring an additional 577,171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $103,223,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.