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 Price Performance

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock opened at $257.06 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Norfolk Southern has a fifty-two week low of $217.00 and a fifty-two week high of $299.20. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $235.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $252.70. The company has a market cap of $60.38 billion, a PE ratio of 20.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.32.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 27th. The railroad operator reported $3.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.48 by ($0.03). The company 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%. Norfolk Southern's revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.28 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 13.67 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 8th will be issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 5th. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is 39.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NSC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $350.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 6th. Cowen cut their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $331.00 to $316.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 28th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 14th. TD Securities upped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $289.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Friday, July 15th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $283.10.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

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