Blue Jean Financial LLC Takes Position in Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Blue Jean Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 5,414 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,563,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,706 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $400,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 40.4% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,447 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,527,000 after acquiring an additional 1,855 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter valued at about $327,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 64.1% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 4,275 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,094,000 after acquiring an additional 1,670 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 185.1% during the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 4,588 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,174,000 after acquiring an additional 2,979 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on NSC shares. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Wolfe Research raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, April 24th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $296.00 to $292.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $322.71.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Norfolk Southern stock opened at $314.05 on Friday. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 12-month low of $247.85 and a 12-month high of $326.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.46, a P/E/G ratio of 5.79 and a beta of 1.27. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $308.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $300.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.49 by $0.16. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 18.30%. The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.13 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.69 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 12.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

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

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.