Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Trims Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV cut its holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 26.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 41,946 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 15,164 shares during the quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV's holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $9,845,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth about $547,575,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 8,608,080 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $2,020,318,000 after purchasing an additional 918,559 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 16.9% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,020,392 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $945,385,000 after buying an additional 580,293 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 293.7% in the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 671,680 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $157,643,000 after acquiring an additional 501,053 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 56.4% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 1,302,635 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $308,607,000 after buying an additional 469,558 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on NSC shares. BMO Capital Markets restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $255.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $260.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $285.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $293.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $266.10.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock traded down $3.43 on Tuesday, hitting $218.85. 1,023,549 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,234,200. The company has a market cap of $49.34 billion, a PE ratio of 18.93, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. 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 Co. has a 52 week low of $201.63 and a 52 week high of $277.60. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $227.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $243.69.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $2.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.49 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.47%. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is presently 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.