Athos Capital Ltd Buys Shares of 20,000 Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Key Points

• Athos Capital Ltd acquired a new stake of 20,000 shares of Norfolk Southern valued at about $6.01 million, making the stock ~3.8% of its portfolio and its 7th largest holding.
• Norfolk Southern beat EPS estimates with $3.22 (vs. $2.76 expected) while reporting $3.0B in revenue (slightly below forecasts) and paid a quarterly dividend of $1.35 (annualized $5.40, ~1.8% yield; DPR 42.35%).
• Institutional investors own 75.10% of NSC; the stock trades around $303 with a $68B market cap, and analysts have a consensus "Hold" rating with an average price target of about $308.95.

Athos Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 20,000 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $6,008,000. Norfolk Southern comprises about 3.8% of Athos Capital Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,706 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $400,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 40.4% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,447 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,527,000 after purchasing an additional 1,855 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $327,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 64.1% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 4,275 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,094,000 after purchasing an additional 1,670 shares during the period. Finally, Andra AP fonden increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 16.1% during the 2nd quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 16,600 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $4,249,000 after buying an additional 2,300 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 2.5%

Shares of NSC stock opened at $303.02 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 12 month low of $201.63 and a 12 month high of $319.94. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $300.10 and a 200-day moving average of $291.60. The firm has a market cap of $68.05 billion, a PE ratio of 23.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 1.31.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.46. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 23.59% and a return on equity of 18.78%. The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.04 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th were given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on NSC. Barclays lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $340.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Norfolk Southern from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $354.00 to $297.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday. Susquehanna lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $304.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eighteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $308.95.

About Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Corporation is a major U.S. freight railroad company that provides rail transportation and related logistics services. As a Class I carrier, the company operates an extensive network across the eastern United States and offers scheduled freight service for a broad range of industries. Its core operations include long-haul and regional rail freight transportation, intermodal services that move containers and trailers between rail and other modes, and terminal and switching services that support efficient rail shipments for industrial and port customers.

The company transports a variety of commodities, serving sectors such as coal and energy, automotive and automotive parts, chemicals, agriculture, metals and construction materials, and consumer goods.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding NSC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.