Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Price Target Raised to $270.00 at Susquehanna

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its price target hoisted by Susquehanna from $245.00 to $270.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the railroad operator’s stock.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Bank of America upgraded Norfolk Southern from a neutral rating to a buy rating and upped their price objective for the company from $204.00 to $248.00 in a research note on Friday, December 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Norfolk Southern from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $272.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $238.00 to $237.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $215.00 to $207.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $252.38.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NSC stock opened at $254.87 on Thursday. Norfolk Southern has a 12-month low of $183.09 and a 12-month high of $263.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. The business has a 50 day moving average of $251.26 and a 200-day moving average of $225.30. The firm has a market cap of $62.75 billion, a PE ratio of 31.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 26th. The railroad operator reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.87 by ($0.04). Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 15.03% and a return on equity of 21.06%. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.42 EPS. Norfolk Southern’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will post 12.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 2nd were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 1st. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.12%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.33%.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth about $2,933,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth about $1,444,000. Comerica Bank purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the second quarter worth about $48,259,000. ClearBridge Investments Ltd purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter worth about $34,973,000. Finally, Pathstone Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 200.1% in the third quarter. Pathstone Family Office LLC now owns 16,077 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,198,000 after buying an additional 10,719 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.