Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC Shares Sold by National Pension Service

National Pension Service decreased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 561,647 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 19,614 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned 0.25% of Norfolk Southern worth $162,159,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Norfolk Southern by 207.1% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 86 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC boosted its position in Norfolk Southern by 933.3% in the 4th quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 93 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MMA Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NSC stock opened at $304.99 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The company has a market cap of $68.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.69, a PEG ratio of 5.69 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $303.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $298.30. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 1-year low of $241.82 and a 1-year high of $326.00.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its 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 business had revenue of $3 billion during 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.69 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 12.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on NSC. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $322.00 to $313.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $315.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $308.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, UBS Group set a $327.00 price objective on Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $319.83.

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.