Hudson Bay Capital Management LP Has $22.98 Million Stock Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Hudson Bay Capital Management LP increased its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 101.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 97,919 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 49,249 shares during the quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $22,982,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,089,164 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,714,927,000 after buying an additional 139,485 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 11.9% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 8,608,080 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,020,318,000 after purchasing an additional 918,559 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,694,573 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,098,472,000 after purchasing an additional 113,648 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,020,392 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $945,385,000 after purchasing an additional 580,293 shares during the period. Finally, EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 3,968,582 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $931,426,000 after purchasing an additional 75,865 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 0.2 %

NSC stock opened at $223.69 on Friday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $201.63 and a twelve month high of $277.60. The company has a market cap of $50.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $225.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $242.84.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.72 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. Norfolk Southern’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.49 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.41%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is currently 36.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on NSC. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $255.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $260.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $266.10.

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.