Two Sigma Investments LP Sells 25,594 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Two Sigma Investments LP decreased its holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 50.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,376 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 25,594 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP's holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $5,956,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 304 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 3,097 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $727,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Leavell Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,816 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,365,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Shayne & Jacobs LLC lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Shayne & Jacobs LLC now owns 3,327 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $781,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Malaga Cove Capital LLC lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Malaga Cove Capital LLC now owns 2,451 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $575,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on NSC. Loop Capital lowered Norfolk Southern from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $250.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Bank of America raised their price target on Norfolk Southern from $267.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $266.50.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock traded up $3.61 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $246.15. 2,178,830 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,215,923. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $227.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $241.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a one year low of $201.63 and a one year 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.

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

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.19%. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.89%.

Norfolk Southern Company 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.