3,367 Shares in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Purchased by Sapient Capital LLC

Sapient Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 3,367 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $796,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in Norfolk Southern by 37.1% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 150,998 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $35,692,000 after purchasing an additional 40,861 shares in the last quarter. Indie Asset Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth about $212,000. CKW Financial Group raised its stake in Norfolk Southern by 33.3% in the 4th quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 400 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $95,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Aspiriant LLC acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth about $204,000. Finally, Advisors Management Group Inc. ADV acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth about $203,000. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 1.7 %

NSC opened at $245.59 on Friday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a fifty-two week low of $183.09 and a fifty-two week high of $263.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.62, a PEG ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.30. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $253.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $229.21.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 26th. The railroad operator reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by ($0.04). Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 15.03% and a return on equity of 21.06%. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.42 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 2nd were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 1st. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on NSC shares. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $270.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Wednesday. Benchmark boosted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $250.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Susquehanna dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $236.00 to $253.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $250.00 to $245.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.33.

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.