Heritage Trust Co Purchases 2,195 Shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Heritage Trust Co increased its stake in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 41.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,485 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 2,195 shares during the period. Heritage Trust Co’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $2,161,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of NSC. Norges Bank bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth about $1,084,701,000. Pentwater Capital Management LP bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter worth about $826,128,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in Norfolk Southern by 545.2% in the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,306,203 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $392,396,000 after buying an additional 1,103,748 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter worth about $329,629,000. Finally, TOMS Capital Investment Management LP bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the second quarter worth about $181,995,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NSC opened at $304.86 on Tuesday. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 52 week low of $241.82 and a 52 week high of $326.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.68, a PEG ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 1.27. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $303.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $298.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

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 business had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.13 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.69 EPS. The business’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 12.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NSC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Argus raised shares of Norfolk Southern to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Norfolk Southern from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Norfolk Southern from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $322.29.

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.