Quantinno Capital Management LP Increases Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 76.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,360 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 7,517 shares during the quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP's holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $4,074,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Atlantic Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE NSC traded up $0.63 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $240.27. The company had a trading volume of 455,821 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,205,583. The stock has a market cap of $54.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52 week low of $201.63 and a 52 week high of $277.60. The business's 50-day moving average is $227.02 and its 200-day moving average is $242.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 company had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.01 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. The business's revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.49 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.25%. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is currently 36.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NSC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Loop Capital cut shares of Norfolk Southern from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Stephens boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $255.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $259.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $266.50.

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.