Aristotle Atlantic Partners LLC Sells 70,106 Shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Aristotle Atlantic Partners LLC decreased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 38.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 113,817 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 70,106 shares during the quarter. Norfolk Southern makes up 1.5% of Aristotle Atlantic Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Aristotle Atlantic Partners LLC owned about 0.05% of Norfolk Southern worth $32,861,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. BNP Paribas purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 933.3% during the 4th quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 93 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 239.3% during the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 95 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 669.2% during the 3rd quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 100 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 3.4%

Shares of NYSE:NSC opened at $300.38 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $309.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $300.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market cap of $67.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.31, a PEG ratio of 5.74 and a beta of 1.27. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 52-week low of $250.65 and a 52-week high of $326.00.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.49 by $0.16. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 21.91%.The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.13 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.69 earnings per share. Norfolk Southern’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 12.12 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th were paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is currently 45.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NSC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $315.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Susquehanna increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $330.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $313.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Argus upgraded Norfolk Southern to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $322.71.

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.