15,536 Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC Shares Purchased by Vestor Capital LLC

Vestor Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 1,827.8% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 16,386 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,536 shares during the quarter. Vestor Capital LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $5,063,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. SCS Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $13,837,000. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the second quarter worth approximately $3,669,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in Norfolk Southern by 17.2% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 35,598 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $11,199,000 after purchasing an additional 5,233 shares during the period. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,376,000. Finally, PensionDanmark Pensionsforsikringsaktieselskab grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 29.2% during the second quarter. PensionDanmark Pensionsforsikringsaktieselskab now owns 54,620 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $17,183,000 after purchasing an additional 12,350 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of NSC stock opened at $325.70 on Tuesday. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 1 year low of $277.80 and a 1 year high of $358.60. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $324.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $316.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.14 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.46 by $0.16. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 20.70% and a return on equity of 18.22%. The firm had revenue of $3.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.48 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.30 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 12.83 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 6th will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 6th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is presently 45.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on NSC shares. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $330.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $360.00 to $377.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Benchmark reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, July 24th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $376.00 to $379.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $348.81.

About Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Corporation is a freight transportation company that operates a major railroad network across the eastern United States. Its rail services connect businesses, ports and communities, and link with other railroads to move goods across North America.

The company transports a broad range of products, including coal, chemicals, agricultural goods, automotive vehicles and parts, metals, construction materials and consumer products. Its services include intermodal transportation, which combines rail with truck or container shipping, as well as rail freight and logistics solutions.

Norfolk Southern was formed in 1982 through the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and the Southern Railway.