Anchor Capital Advisors LLC Grows Stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Anchor Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 18.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 155,695 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 24,280 shares during the quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Norfolk Southern worth $36,803,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 69.0% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,723,398 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $536,319,000 after acquiring an additional 1,112,261 shares during the period. London Co. of Virginia lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 41.2% in the third quarter. London Co. of Virginia now owns 1,976,871 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $389,305,000 after buying an additional 577,171 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at approximately $103,223,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 23,585.8% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 351,261 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $83,031,000 after buying an additional 349,778 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 8,629,330 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,699,371,000 after acquiring an additional 264,031 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock traded up $1.40 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $241.34. 1,385,043 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,292,828. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.68. The company has a market capitalization of $54.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.86, a P/E/G ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $251.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $233.21. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12 month low of $183.09 and a 12 month high of $263.66.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.58 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 11.76% and a return on equity of 19.61%. Norfolk Southern's revenue for the quarter was down 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.32 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 86.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $236.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley downgraded Norfolk Southern from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $185.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $294.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $270.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $262.32.

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.