Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Stock Rating Reaffirmed by Stephens

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC)‘s stock had its “equal weight” rating reiterated by equities researchers at Stephens in a report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $263.00 price objective on the railroad operator’s stock. Stephens’ price objective would suggest a potential upside of 2.88% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. TD Cowen upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $251.00 to $253.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $289.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $291.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Monday, July 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $267.00 to $272.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $273.32.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NYSE:NSC traded down $4.80 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $255.63. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 531,184 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,254,867. Norfolk Southern has a 52-week low of $183.09 and a 52-week high of $263.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.63. The business’s 50-day moving average is $248.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $236.73. The company has a market capitalization of $57.75 billion, a PE ratio of 41.35, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.31.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.10 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.08 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 14.85% and a return on equity of 19.64%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.65 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern will post 11.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Nabanita C. Nag sold 355 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total transaction of $88,529.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $371,077.44. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The stock was bought at an average price of $245.15 per share, with a total value of $171,605.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,887,655. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Nabanita C. Nag sold 355 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total value of $88,529.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $371,077.44. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cedar Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the first quarter valued at $27,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the second quarter valued at about $31,000. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Hobbs Group Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the second quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

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.