National Pension Service Buys 55,362 Shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC)

National Pension Service raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 10.9% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 561,491 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 55,362 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $132,989,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of NSC. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Greenline Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 129.2% during the 1st quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 149 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on NSC shares. Susquehanna restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $260.00 price target (up from $250.00) on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $278.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Baird R W upgraded Norfolk Southern to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $288.00 price target (up previously from $282.00) on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $285.15.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NYSE NSC opened at $282.05 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $63.35 billion, a PE ratio of 19.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a twelve month low of $201.63 and a twelve month high of $288.11. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $265.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $246.39.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.24 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $3.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.10 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.35% and a net margin of 27.51%. Equities analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Friday, August 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 1st. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.49%.

Norfolk Southern Company Profile

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.