Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Holdings Raised by Syon Capital LLC

Syon Capital LLC boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 18.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,012 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 319 shares during the period. Syon Capital LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $476,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Provence Wealth Management Group acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 662.5% during the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 122 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Operose Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NSC opened at $239.94 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $251.83 and its 200-day moving average is $232.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company has a market capitalization of $54.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.64, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a fifty-two week low of $183.09 and a fifty-two week high of $263.66.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.58 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 11.76% and a return on equity of 19.61%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.32 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.25%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 86.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NSC has been the subject of several research reports. TD Cowen raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $236.00 to $253.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $294.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Monday, April 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $300.00 target price for the company. Barclays raised Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $255.00 to $305.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, Loop Capital raised their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $261.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $262.32.

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.