Sargent Investment Group LLC Buys Shares of 4,508 Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Sargent Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund bought 4,508 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,302,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,084,701,000. Pentwater Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at about $826,128,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 545.2% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,306,203 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $392,396,000 after purchasing an additional 1,103,748 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at about $329,629,000. Finally, TOMS Capital Investment Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at about $181,995,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NSC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $296.00 to $292.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. UBS Group set a $327.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $308.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $322.71.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.0%

NSC stock opened at $314.05 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $308.35 and a 200 day moving average of $300.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.53 billion, a PE ratio of 26.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.79 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 52 week low of $247.85 and a 52 week high of $326.00.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.49 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.13 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 18.30%. Norfolk Southern’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.69 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 12.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th were paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 8th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.49%.

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.