Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Buys 1,642 Shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 23.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 8,737 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,642 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $2,522,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gilbert & Cook Inc. boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 2,515 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $726,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 791 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $228,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 3,090 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $892,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,216 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $929,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, Quotient Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC now owns 864 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $250,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 2.1%

Shares of NYSE:NSC opened at $311.47 on Thursday. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 12 month low of $236.37 and a 12 month high of $323.37. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $300.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $296.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market cap of $69.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.24, a P/E/G ratio of 5.88 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.49 by $0.16. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 18.30%. The firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.13 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.69 EPS. The company’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 12.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 is currently 45.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NSC has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Norfolk Southern from $296.00 to $292.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Wolfe Research raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price on Norfolk Southern from $322.00 to $313.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $315.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Norfolk Southern from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $319.83.

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.