Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) PT Raised to $280.00 at Jefferies Financial Group

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its price objective hoisted by Jefferies Financial Group from $275.00 to $280.00 in a research note released on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a buy rating on the railroad operator’s stock.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an underweight rating and set a $175.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $267.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $276.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $266.17.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NSC stock opened at $250.17 on Thursday. Norfolk Southern has a 1 year low of $183.09 and a 1 year high of $263.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.52 billion, a PE ratio of 40.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.31. The company’s 50-day moving average is $246.64 and its 200-day moving average is $236.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.54.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.20. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.64% and a net margin of 14.85%. The firm had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.95 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 11.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Friday, August 2nd were paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.16%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 86.96%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Alan H. Shaw sold 51,325 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.98, for a total transaction of $13,138,173.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 35,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,970,819.10. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Norfolk Southern news, CEO Alan H. Shaw sold 51,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.98, for a total transaction of $13,138,173.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 35,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,970,819.10. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $245.15 per share, for a total transaction of $171,605.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 7,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,887,655. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Buckingham Strategic Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Buckingham Strategic Wealth LLC now owns 96,384 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $22,783,000 after purchasing an additional 6,306 shares during the period. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC now owns 4,023 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $951,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Prelude Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. Prelude Capital Management LLC now owns 34,706 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $8,204,000 after acquiring an additional 2,792 shares during the period. Wealthquest Corp purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth approximately $203,000. Finally, Taylor Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $19,937,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by 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.