Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC Has $10.47 Million Holdings in Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 34,836 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 3,146 shares during the quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $10,465,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of NSC. ORG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 75.0% in the 3rd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 84 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 207.1% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 86 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. MMA Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. BNP Paribas acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern in the second quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 68.9% in the third quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 103 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Norfolk Southern stock opened at $311.57 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 1 year low of $201.63 and a 1 year high of $319.94. The company has a market cap of $69.97 billion, a PE ratio of 24.44, a PEG ratio of 5.74 and a beta of 1.31. The company’s 50-day moving average is $299.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $291.39.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.46. The company had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.03 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 23.59% and a return on equity of 18.78%. Norfolk Southern’s revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.04 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is currently 42.35%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on NSC. Barclays lowered their target price on Norfolk Southern from $340.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $354.00 to $297.00 in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $293.00 to $288.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, January 30th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $304.47.

About Norfolk Southern

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.