Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC Stock Acquired by PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators

PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 8.5% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 76,128 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,973 shares during the quarter. PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators’ holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $23,524,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NSC. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $5,033,549,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the second quarter worth $978,977,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the second quarter worth $503,093,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the second quarter worth $364,414,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the second quarter worth $356,558,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on NSC. Benchmark reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $365.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Susquehanna cut their price target on Norfolk Southern from $386.00 to $350.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $360.00 to $377.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Monday, October 26th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $348.81.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:NSC opened at $333.12 on Friday. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 52 week low of $277.80 and a 52 week high of $358.60. The company’s 50 day moving average is $324.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $316.92. The company has a market cap of $74.83 billion, a PE ratio of 27.92, a P/E/G ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.46 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $3.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.48 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 20.70% and a return on equity of 18.22%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.30 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 12.90 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Investors of record on Friday, November 6th will be issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 6th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 45.26%.

Norfolk Southern Company Profile

Norfolk Southern Corporation is a freight transportation company that operates a major railroad network across the eastern United States. Its rail services connect businesses, ports and communities, and link with other railroads to move goods across North America. The company transports a broad range of products, including coal, chemicals, agricultural goods, automotive vehicles and parts, metals, construction materials and consumer products. Its services include intermodal transportation, which combines rail with truck or container shipping, as well as rail freight and logistics solutions.