Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Sold by Janus Henderson Group PLC

Janus Henderson Group PLC reduced its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 3.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 28,580 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,081 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $6,716,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 16.9% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 304 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 3,097 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $727,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Albert D Mason Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 6,881 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,615,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 2,507 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $588,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Leavell Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,816 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,365,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.9%

NSC opened at $246.19 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.50 billion, a PE ratio of 21.30, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1-year low of $201.63 and a 1-year high of $277.60. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $226.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $242.47.

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

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 36.89%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on NSC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $255.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $271.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $267.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $266.50.

Norfolk Southern Company 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.