Analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Corp. (NYSE:NSC) will post $2.76 billion in sales for the current fiscal quarter, Zacks reports. Five analysts have issued estimates for Norfolk Southern’s earnings. The lowest sales estimate is $2.71 billion and the highest is $2.81 billion. Norfolk Southern posted sales of $2.90 billion in the same quarter last year, which suggests a negative year over year growth rate of 4.8%. The firm is scheduled to report its next quarterly earnings report on Thursday, January 23rd.
On average, analysts expect that Norfolk Southern will report full year sales of $11.37 billion for the current financial year, with estimates ranging from $11.32 billion to $11.41 billion. For the next fiscal year, analysts anticipate that the business will post sales of $11.62 billion, with estimates ranging from $11.41 billion to $11.71 billion. Zacks’ sales calculations are a mean average based on a survey of research firms that that provide coverage for Norfolk Southern.
Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $2.57 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $2.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.86 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.22% and a net margin of 23.98%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.52 EPS.
A number of brokerages have recently commented on NSC. ValuEngine lowered shares of Norfolk Southern from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $200.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $230.00 to $216.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Norfolk Southern from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $162.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. The company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $203.76.
A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NSC. Los Angeles Capital Management & Equity Research Inc. increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 213.8% during the second quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management & Equity Research Inc. now owns 15,969 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,183,000 after buying an additional 10,880 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 2.2% in the second quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 6,445 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,285,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Dupont Capital Management Corp grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 11.1% in the second quarter. Dupont Capital Management Corp now owns 14,649 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,920,000 after purchasing an additional 1,458 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank N A MO grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 1.3% in the second quarter. UMB Bank N A MO now owns 15,602 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,110,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AGF Investments LLC grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 173.5% in the second quarter. AGF Investments LLC now owns 186 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. 71.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
NYSE NSC traded down $0.13 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $190.43. The stock had a trading volume of 1,423,462 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,645,015. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.38. Norfolk Southern has a one year low of $138.65 and a one year high of $211.46. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $191.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $187.27.
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st were issued a dividend of $0.94 per share. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.97%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 31st. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 39.54%.
Norfolk Southern Company Profile
Norfolk Southern Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the rail transportation of raw materials, intermediate products, and finished goods. The company transports industrial products, including chemicals, agriculture, and metals and construction materials; and coal, automobiles, and automotive parts.
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