Credit Industriel ET Commercial Makes New Investment in Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Key Points

• Credit Industriel ET Commercial bought a new position of 4,000 Norfolk Southern shares in Q4, valued at about $1.155 million.
• Norfolk Southern declared a quarterly dividend of $1.35 (annualized $5.40) with an ex-dividend/record date of May 8 and a payment date of May 20, implying a yield of ~1.7%.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $2.65 (beat estimates) while revenue slightly missed, and analysts hold an average "Hold" rating with a consensus price target near $320.67.

Credit Industriel ET Commercial purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 4,000 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $1,155,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. ORG Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 75.0% during the 3rd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 84 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 207.1% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 86 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 933.3% during the 4th quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 93 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MMA Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.6%

Norfolk Southern stock opened at $313.48 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $299.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $294.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market cap of $70.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.76 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 12 month low of $218.05 and a 12 month high of $323.37.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.49 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.13 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 21.91%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.69 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 12.11 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio is 45.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on NSC shares. Argus raised Norfolk Southern to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $315.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $310.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Evercore set a $325.00 price objective on Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $320.67.

Norfolk Southern Profile

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.

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