Norfolk Southern - NSC Stock Forecast, Price & News

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, scrap paper, beverages, canned goods, and consumer products; chemicals consist of sulfur and related chemicals, petroleum products, chlorine and bleaching compounds, plastics, rubber, industrial chemicals, chemical wastes, and sand; 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. It also transports overseas freight through various Atlantic and Gulf Coast ports; and provides commuter rail passenger transportation services and operates an intermodal network. As of December 31, 2021, the company operated approximately 19,300 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia. Norfolk Southern Corporation was incorporated in 1980 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NSC Stock traded up $1.63 during trading on Friday, hitting $261.84. The company's stock had a trading volume of 863,523 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,281,488. The company has a market cap of $61.50 billion, a PE ratio of 20.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The business has a fifty day moving average of $235.62 and a 200-day moving average of $252.92. Norfolk Southern has a 52 week low of $217.00 and a 52 week high of $299.20.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 27th. The railroad operator reported $3.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.48 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $3.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.14 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 25.57% and a return on equity of 22.42%. The business's revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.28 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern will post 13.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 8th will be issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 5th. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on NSC. Cowen dropped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $331.00 to $316.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 28th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 14th. Cowen dropped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $331.00 to $316.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 28th. Stephens dropped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $244.00 to $243.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $340.00 to $274.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $283.10.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, CEO Alan H. Shaw sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.84, for a total transaction of $241,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 34,255 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,284,229.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Norfolk Southern news, Director James A. Squires sold 105,420 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.81, for a total transaction of $26,229,550.20. Following the sale, the director now owns 42,728 shares in the company, valued at $10,631,153.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Alan H. Shaw sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.84, for a total value of $241,840.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 34,255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,284,229.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.