Norfolk Southern (NSC) to Release Earnings on Wednesday

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) is set to release its earnings data before the market opens on Wednesday, April 24th. Analysts expect Norfolk Southern to post earnings of $2.64 per share for the quarter. Norfolk Southern has set its FY 2024 guidance at EPS.Persons interested in participating in the company’s earnings conference call can do so using this link.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The railroad operator reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by ($0.04). Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 21.06% and a net margin of 15.03%. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.42 earnings per share. Norfolk Southern’s revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect Norfolk Southern to post $12 EPS for the current fiscal year and $14 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NYSE:NSC opened at $244.61 on Tuesday. Norfolk Southern has a 52 week low of $183.09 and a 52 week high of $263.66. The firm has a market cap of $60.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.50, a P/E/G ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 1.30. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $252.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $231.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.24.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 2nd were paid 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 yield of 2.21%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 67.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NSC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $300.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $270.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $238.00 to $302.00 in a research note on Monday, March 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.74.

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.