Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC Stock Holdings Decreased by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank lessened its stake in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 5.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 649,900 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 34,800 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $195,236,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of NSC. ORG Partners LLC increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 75.0% in the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 84 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted 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 worth $26,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. MMA Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. BNP Paribas acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 68.9% in the 3rd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 103 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NSC has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays dropped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $340.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $301.00 to $296.00 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 report on Thursday, December 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $347.00 to $333.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Argus raised shares of Norfolk Southern to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eighteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $308.95.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE NSC opened at $302.37 on Tuesday. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 12-month low of $201.63 and a 12-month high of $319.94. The company has a market cap of $67.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $300.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $291.77.

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

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 42.35%.

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.