Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Reaches New 52-Week High – What’s Next?

Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $271.75 and last traded at $269.93, with a volume of 119292 shares. The stock had previously closed at $252.11.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on NSC shares. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $263.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Loop Capital raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $287.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $241.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Benchmark raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $274.16.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.4 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $251.77 and a 200 day moving average of $237.87.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.11 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.08 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.25% and a net margin of 19.85%. The business’s revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.65 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 1st. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.99%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.70%.

Insider Activity

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $255.00 per share, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $2,550,000. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other 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 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $255.00 per share, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $2,550,000. The trade was 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.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Cedar Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the first quarter valued at about $27,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

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.