Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Given New $279.00 Price Target at UBS Group

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) had its price objective boosted by UBS Group from $275.00 to $279.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the railroad operator’s stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on NSC. Citigroup reduced their price target on Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $259.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $269.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays cut their price target on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $293.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $266.70.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock opened at $247.11 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $228.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $241.28. Norfolk Southern has a 12 month low of $201.63 and a 12 month high of $277.60. The company has a market capitalization of $55.71 billion, a PE ratio of 21.38, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.72 by ($0.03). Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. The company had revenue of $2.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.49 EPS. Norfolk Southern’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Norfolk Southern will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.19%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.89%.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 304 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 3,097 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $727,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 4.9% during the first quarter. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida now owns 956 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $226,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.8% in the first quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,556 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $605,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Certified Advisory Corp lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.0% in the first quarter. Certified Advisory Corp now owns 4,644 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,100,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Norfolk Southern

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.