Meketa Capital LLC Invests $360,000 in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Meketa Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,536 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $360,000.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on NSC. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $293.00 target price on the stock. Susquehanna cut their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $250.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $275.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $269.00 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, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $266.10.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 7.0%

NSC opened at $239.16 on Tuesday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $201.63 and a twelve month high of $277.60. The firm has a market cap of $53.92 billion, a PE ratio of 20.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.90. The firm's fifty day moving average is $225.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $242.68.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.72 by ($0.03). Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. The business had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.49 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd will be paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is presently 36.89%.

About Norfolk Southern

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.

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