Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Sells 19,568 Shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lessened its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 75.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 6,459 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 19,568 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $1,865,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,825,837 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $6,012,836,000 after purchasing an additional 272,651 shares during the last quarter. Pentwater Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth $826,128,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 5.8% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,179,610 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $654,757,000 after purchasing an additional 118,697 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.6% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,744,074 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $523,937,000 after purchasing an additional 76,751 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 545.2% during 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 purchasing an additional 1,103,748 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 1.7%

NYSE:NSC opened at $325.77 on Thursday. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 1-year low of $241.82 and a 1-year high of $326.00. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $302.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $298.09. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $73.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.44, a PEG ratio of 5.92 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.49 by $0.16. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 21.91%.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 posted $2.69 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 12.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th were paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NSC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Argus upgraded Norfolk Southern to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $310.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $308.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. TD Cowen upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $313.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Norfolk Southern from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $319.83.

Norfolk Southern Company 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.