Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Sold by Webster Bank N. A.

Webster Bank N. A. cut its stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 13.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 420 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 64 shares during the period. Webster Bank N. A.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $99,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NYSE:NSC opened at $247.11 on Friday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $201.63 and a twelve month high of $277.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The company has a 50-day moving average of $228.16 and a 200-day moving average of $241.28. The firm has a market cap of $55.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.72 by ($0.03). Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. The business had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.49 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.89%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NSC has been the topic of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $247.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $293.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $267.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $266.70.

About Norfolk Southern

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.