Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Trading Down 2.1%

Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)’s stock price was down 2.1% on Friday . The company traded as low as $249.01 and last traded at $249.12. Approximately 871,607 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 31% from the average daily volume of 1,267,955 shares. The stock had previously closed at $254.59.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on NSC. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $251.00 to $253.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $239.00 to $241.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $264.24.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 3.5 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $55.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.31. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $240.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $238.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.04 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.64% and a net margin of 14.85%. The business’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.95 EPS. Research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.8 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 2nd were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 2nd. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 86.96%.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $245.15 per share, with a total value of $171,605.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,887,655. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 700 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 7,700 shares in the company, valued at $1,887,655. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Richard H. Anderson acquired 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 29th. The shares were bought at an average price of $247.48 per share, with a total value of $494,960.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $742,440. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cedar Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the first quarter worth $34,000. 75.10% of the stock is 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.