Cache Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Cache Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 7,409 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $1,739,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of NSC. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,694,573 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,098,472,000 after purchasing an additional 113,648 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,796,000. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 5,678 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,333,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Clarendon Private LLC purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at about $309,000. Finally, Ausbil Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at about $4,703,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on NSC shares. Loop Capital lowered shares of Norfolk Southern from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $267.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $271.00 to $270.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $275.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $260.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $266.50.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NSC stock traded up $4.63 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $244.65. 1,204,407 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,211,319. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $201.63 and a twelve month high of $277.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $227.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $241.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.72 by ($0.03). Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. The company had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.49 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.21%. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is 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.