Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC Stock Position Lifted by O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 9.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 43,408 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,887 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $12,533,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NYSE NSC opened at $312.67 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.22 billion, a PE ratio of 26.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.73 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $306.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $299.61. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 12-month low of $247.85 and a 12-month high of $326.00.

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

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th were paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 8th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 45.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on NSC. Zacks Research raised shares of Norfolk Southern from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $313.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Evercore set a $325.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $322.71.

Norfolk Southern 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.