Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Takes Position in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC)

Key Points

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern Corporation, purchasing 4,400 shares valued at approximately $1,042,000 in the first quarter.
• Several institutional investors have also increased their holdings in Norfolk Southern, indicating a strong interest from the investment community, with 75.10% of the stock owned by hedge funds and institutions.
• Norfolk Southern announced a quarterly dividend of $1.35 per share, representing an annualized yield of 1.9%, set to be paid on August 20th.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 4,400 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $1,042,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of NSC. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Greenline Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the first quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 129.2% in the 1st quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 149 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $278.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Monday, June 2nd. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $279.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Barclays upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Baird R W upgraded Norfolk Southern to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $255.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $285.15.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NYSE NSC opened at $278.18 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $259.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $244.45. The company has a market capitalization of $62.49 billion, a PE ratio of 18.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.31. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 1 year low of $201.63 and a 1 year high of $288.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.70.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.24 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $3.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.10 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.35% and a net margin of 27.51%. As a group, analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 1st will be issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 1st. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is presently 36.89%.

Norfolk Southern 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.

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