Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC Shares Sold by Aristotle Atlantic Partners LLC

Aristotle Atlantic Partners LLC cut its position in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 38.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 113,817 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 70,106 shares during the period. Norfolk Southern makes up 1.5% of Aristotle Atlantic Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Aristotle Atlantic Partners LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $32,861,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 6,903 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,993,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 182.4% during the fourth quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 2,310 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $667,000 after buying an additional 1,492 shares during the last quarter. Brooks Moore & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Brooks Moore & Associates Inc. now owns 6,381 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,842,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Align Financial LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth $15,005,000. Finally, Guggenheim Capital LLC boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 19,616 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $5,664,000 after buying an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NSC stock opened at $300.38 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The company has a market capitalization of $67.46 billion, a PE ratio of 25.31, a P/E/G ratio of 5.74 and a beta of 1.27. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 12-month low of $250.65 and a 12-month high of $326.00. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $309.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $300.56.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.49 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.13 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 21.91%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.69 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 12.12 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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 was Friday, May 8th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 45.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on NSC. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $313.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Norfolk Southern from $296.00 to $292.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Susquehanna lifted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $330.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Argus upgraded Norfolk Southern to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price on Norfolk Southern from $322.00 to $313.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $322.71.

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.