Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC Holdings Lifted by Squarepoint Ops LLC

Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its position in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 175.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 837,154 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 533,487 shares during the period. Norfolk Southern makes up approximately 0.3% of Squarepoint Ops LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Squarepoint Ops LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $241,703,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. BNP Paribas bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 933.3% in the fourth quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 93 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 239.3% in the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 95 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 669.2% in the third quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 100 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:NSC opened at $314.05 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.46, a PEG ratio of 5.79 and a beta of 1.27. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 1-year low of $247.85 and a 1-year high of $326.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $308.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $300.20.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.49 by $0.16. The firm 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%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.69 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 12.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on NSC. Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $330.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Evercore set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, April 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $310.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $322.71.

Norfolk Southern Company 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.