IFM Investors Pty Ltd Purchases 4,043 Shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC)

IFM Investors Pty Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 6.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 67,561 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 4,043 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $16,789,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC grew 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 worth $1,098,472,000 after purchasing an additional 113,648 shares during the period. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC grew 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 worth $1,333,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 1.9% during the first quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 3,571 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $846,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 4.1% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 71,463 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $16,925,000 after purchasing an additional 2,782 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 8.3% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,179 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $990,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NSC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $260.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $293.00 price objective for the company. BMO Capital Markets reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $255.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $259.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $271.00 to $270.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $267.48.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:NSC traded up $0.50 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $262.50. 928,463 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,237,129. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $244.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $239.74. The stock has a market cap of $59.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.31. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 12-month low of $201.63 and a 12-month high of $277.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.72 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.01 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.65% and a net margin of 27.40%. The business's revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.49 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.06%. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.