Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC Shares Acquired by Capital World Investors

Capital World Investors raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 6.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,747,507 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 109,498 shares during the period. Capital World Investors’ holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $504,540,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Gilbert & Cook Inc. increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 2,515 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $726,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 791 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $228,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 3,090 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $892,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,216 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $929,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, Quotient Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC now owns 864 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $250,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Susquehanna upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $330.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Zacks Research raised Norfolk Southern from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Evercore set a $325.00 target price on Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Wolfe Research upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $322.71.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NSC opened at $313.88 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $305.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $299.20. The company has a market capitalization of $70.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.44, a P/E/G ratio of 5.79 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.91. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $247.85 and a fifty-two week high of $326.00.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.49 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.13 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 21.91%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.69 EPS. Research analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 12.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.49%.

Norfolk Southern Company Profile

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.