Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $1.35 on May 20th

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be given a dividend of 1.35 per share by the railroad operator on Wednesday, May 20th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th.

Norfolk Southern has increased its dividend payment by an average of 0.1%per year over the last three years. Norfolk Southern has a payout ratio of 37.8% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Norfolk Southern to earn $13.41 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $5.40 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 40.3%.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.6%

NYSE:NSC opened at $313.48 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $70.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.41, a PEG ratio of 5.76 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Norfolk Southern has a 12 month low of $218.05 and a 12 month high of $323.37. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $299.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $294.57.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.49 by $0.16. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 21.91%.The company had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.13 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.69 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern will post 12.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ORG Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 75.0% in the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 84 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 207.1% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 86 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 933.3% in the 4th quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 93 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MMA Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Corporation is a major U.S. freight railroad company that provides rail transportation and related logistics services. As a Class I carrier, the company operates an extensive network across the eastern United States and offers scheduled freight service for a broad range of industries. Its core operations include long-haul and regional rail freight transportation, intermodal services that move containers and trailers between rail and other modes, and terminal and switching services that support efficient rail shipments for industrial and port customers.

The company transports a variety of commodities, serving sectors such as coal and energy, automotive and automotive parts, chemicals, agriculture, metals and construction materials, and consumer goods.