R Squared Ltd Purchases 2,065 Shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

R Squared Ltd increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 290.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,775 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,065 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $796,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Norfolk Southern by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,706 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $400,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 40.4% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,447 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,527,000 after acquiring an additional 1,855 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at about $327,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 64.1% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 4,275 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,094,000 after purchasing an additional 1,670 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 185.1% during the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 4,588 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,174,000 after purchasing an additional 2,979 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.1%

Norfolk Southern stock traded up $0.42 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $322.32. 106,319 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,241,712. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 52-week low of $257.49 and a 52-week high of $326.00. 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 business’s 50-day moving average price is $312.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $302.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.96 and a beta of 1.27.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.49 by $0.16. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 18.30%. The firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.13 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.69 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 12.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th 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 was Friday, May 8th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NSC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wolfe Research lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Evercore set a $325.00 price target on Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $315.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Norfolk Southern from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $320.35.

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.