Indivisible Partners Makes New $1.30 Million Investment in Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Key Points

• Indivisible Partners bought a new position in Norfolk Southern, acquiring 4,495 shares valued at approximately $1.30 million during the fourth quarter.
• Norfolk Southern reported Q1 EPS of $2.65, beating estimates of $2.49 while revenue of $3.0 billion slightly missed expectations, and the stock carries a Wall Street consensus rating of "Hold" with a $320.67 target.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.35 per share (annualized $5.40, ~1.7% yield), with an ex-dividend and record date of May 8 and payment scheduled for May 20.

Indivisible Partners bought a new position in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 4,495 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $1,298,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. Pentwater Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter worth $826,128,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 545.2% in the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,306,203 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $392,396,000 after buying an additional 1,103,748 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter worth $329,629,000. TOMS Capital Investment Management LP acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the second quarter worth $181,995,000. Finally, M&T Bank Corp increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 463.2% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 783,271 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $226,146,000 after buying an additional 644,202 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.6%

NYSE:NSC opened at $313.48 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 1-year low of $218.05 and a 1-year high of $323.37. The firm has a market capitalization 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. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $299.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $294.57.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.49 by $0.16. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 21.91%.The firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.13 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.69 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 12.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on NSC shares. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $315.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Evercore set a $325.00 price target on Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, April 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $322.00 to $313.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Norfolk Southern from $310.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $320.67.

Norfolk Southern Company 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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