Cambridge Trust Co. Lowers Stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Cambridge Trust Co. decreased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 11.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,739 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 370 shares during the quarter. Cambridge Trust Co.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $647,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NSC. Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern in the first quarter valued at $30,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Provence Wealth Management Group acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 317.1% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 146 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NSC opened at $240.12 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.12 billion, a PE ratio of 29.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.30. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $253.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $230.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.14. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12-month low of $183.09 and a 12-month high of $263.66.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The railroad operator reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by ($0.04). Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 21.06% and a net margin of 15.03%. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.42 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.98 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 2nd were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 1st. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.25%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on NSC shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Citigroup lifted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $236.00 to $253.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley downgraded Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $185.00 to $175.00 in a report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.74.

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.