Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Bought by National Pension Service

National Pension Service lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 2.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 441,597 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 10,785 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned 0.20% of Norfolk Southern worth $104,385,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Provence Wealth Management Group bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 662.5% during the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 122 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Operose Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on NSC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Norfolk Southern from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Norfolk Southern in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $300.00 price objective on the stock. 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. Finally, Loop Capital raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $261.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $262.32.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NSC traded down $5.79 during trading on Thursday, hitting $226.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,717,549 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,363,551. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $248.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $234.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12 month low of $183.09 and a 12 month high of $263.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.58 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $3 billion during 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%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.32 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.39%. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is currently 86.96%.

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.