Whittier Trust Co. Purchases 5,653 Shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Key Points

• Whittier Trust Co. increased its Norfolk Southern stake by 5,653 shares (a 2.8% bump), bringing its holding to 204,281 shares worth about $59.48 million (roughly 0.09% of the company).
• Norfolk Southern reported Q4 EPS of $3.22 versus $2.76 expected, while revenue fell 1.7% year‑over‑year to $3.0 billion and the company paid a $1.35 quarterly dividend (a $5.40 annualized payout and ~1.8% yield).
• Shares trade near $302 with a $74 billion market cap, and analysts have a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $308.78.

Whittier Trust Co. boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 2.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 204,281 shares of the railroad operator's stock after acquiring an additional 5,653 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. owned approximately 0.09% of Norfolk Southern worth $59,476,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ORG Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 75.0% in the 3rd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 84 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 207.1% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 86 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. BNP Paribas bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, GoalVest Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 933.3% in the 4th quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 93 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of NSC opened at $302.27 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $74.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.71, a PEG ratio of 5.48 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a one year low of $214.50 and a one year high of $319.94. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $300.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $293.37.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.46. The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.78% and a net margin of 23.59%.Norfolk Southern's revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.04 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio is currently 42.35%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NSC has been the topic of several analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $322.00 to $313.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Morgan Stanley upgraded Norfolk Southern from an "equal weight" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $313.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Wolfe Research boosted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $308.78.

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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