Shay Capital LLC Increases Holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Shay Capital LLC grew its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 225.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,500 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 4,500 shares during the quarter. Shay Capital LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $1,526,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Atlantic Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on NSC shares. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $275.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $293.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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. Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $269.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and set a $255.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. One investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $266.10.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NSC opened at $244.16 on Friday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1-year low of $201.63 and a 1-year high of $277.60. The company has a market capitalization of $55.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $225.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $242.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.01 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.49 EPS. Research analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.89%.

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.