Capital Square LLC Invests $1.38 Million in Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Capital Square LLC purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 4,203 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,376,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in NSC. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. BNP Paribas purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the second quarter valued at about $31,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE NSC opened at $350.77 on Monday. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a one year low of $268.23 and a one year high of $358.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $328.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $313.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.93, a PEG ratio of 6.21 and a beta of 1.27.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.32 by $0.20. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.02% and a return on equity of 18.21%. The business had revenue of $3.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.29 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 12.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 20th. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.08%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on NSC. Benchmark restated a “hold” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $363.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $365.00 to $385.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Evercore set a $358.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $348.00.

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.