Capital World Investors Has $381.87 Million Stock Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Capital World Investors grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 0.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,627,067 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 738 shares during the period. Capital World Investors’ holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $381,873,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Wealthquest Corp bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at $216,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 14,265 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,545,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 10.7% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,226 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,790,000 after purchasing an additional 1,089 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its stake in Norfolk Southern by 23.2% in the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 56,256 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $13,980,000 after purchasing an additional 10,593 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NSC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. UBS Group reduced their target price on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $268.79.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock opened at $219.99 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $54.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $201.63 and a twelve month high of $277.60. The company’s fifty day moving average is $233.78 and its 200 day moving average is $245.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.45%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 46.71%.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Company Profile

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.