Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $45.14 Million Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 12.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 190,945 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,532 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.08% of Norfolk Southern worth $45,137,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at $529,000. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 5,516 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,304,000 after buying an additional 418 shares during the last quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 9,583 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,265,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the period. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 68.3% during the fourth quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 2,079 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $491,000 after acquiring an additional 844 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AM Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth $229,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NSC opened at $241.34 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $54.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.86, a PEG ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $183.09 and a twelve month high of $263.66. The company has a 50 day moving average of $251.61 and a 200 day moving average of $233.21.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.58 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.61% and a net margin of 11.76%. The business’s revenue was down 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.32 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 86.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $185.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $277.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $250.00 to $245.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Susquehanna cut their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $262.32.

Norfolk Southern Profile

Norfolk Southern Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the rail transportation of raw materials, intermediate products, and finished goods in the United States. The company transports agriculture, forest, and consumer products comprising soybeans, wheat, corn, fertilizers, livestock and poultry feed, food products, food oils, flour, sweeteners, ethanol, lumber and wood products, pulp board and paper products, wood fibers, wood pulp, beverages, and canned goods; chemicals consist of sulfur and related chemicals, petroleum products comprising crude oil, chlorine and bleaching compounds, plastics, rubber, industrial chemicals, chemical wastes, sand, and natural gas liquids; metals and construction materials, such as steel, aluminum products, machinery, scrap metals, cement, aggregates, minerals, clay, transportation equipment, and military-related products; and automotive, including finished motor vehicles and automotive parts, as well as coal.