Barclays PLC Buys 47,560 Shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Barclays PLC raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 12.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 444,677 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 47,560 shares during the period. Barclays PLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $128,387,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gilbert & Cook Inc. raised its position in Norfolk Southern by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 2,515 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $726,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 791 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $228,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 3,090 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $892,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,216 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $929,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quotient Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC now owns 864 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $250,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Norfolk Southern from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Norfolk Southern from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $322.00 to $313.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $308.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Six investment 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 stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $322.71.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 1.2%

NYSE NSC opened at $310.15 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $308.79 and a 200 day moving average of $300.35. The company has a market capitalization of $69.66 billion, a PE ratio of 26.13, a P/E/G ratio of 5.79 and a beta of 1.27. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 1 year low of $248.82 and a 1 year high of $326.00. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.49 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.13 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 18.30%. The company’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.69 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 12.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th were given 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 was Friday, May 8th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 45.49%.

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.