Boston Partners Reduces Holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Boston Partners decreased its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,124,530 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 16,267 shares during the period. Boston Partners owned 0.50% of Norfolk Southern worth $265,827,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Park Avenue Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $863,000. Summit Trail Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 1,446 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $285,000 after buying an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Choate Investment Advisors lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 11.1% during the 3rd quarter. Choate Investment Advisors now owns 3,154 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $621,000 after buying an additional 316 shares in the last quarter. Private Management Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 8.8% in the 3rd quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 1,147 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $226,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,935,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $294.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $250.00 to $245.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $260.74.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Norfolk Southern stock traded up $0.69 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $230.98. 2,171,896 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,379,111. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12-month low of $183.09 and a 12-month high of $263.66. 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 stock has a market cap of $52.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.30. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $247.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $235.19.

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). Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.61% and a net margin of 11.76%. The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.05 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.32 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.62 EPS for the current 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 given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is currently 86.96%.

Norfolk Southern 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.

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