Sargent Investment Group LLC Takes $1.30 Million Position in Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Sargent Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 4,508 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,302,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at $25,000. BNP Paribas purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the second quarter valued at $26,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 933.3% in the fourth quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 93 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 239.3% in the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 95 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 669.2% in the third quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 100 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.0%

NSC stock opened at $314.05 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $70.53 billion, a PE ratio of 26.46, a P/E/G ratio of 5.79 and a beta of 1.27. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 12 month low of $247.85 and a 12 month high of $326.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $308.35 and its 200 day moving average is $300.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.49 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.13 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 18.30%. The firm’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.69 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 12.12 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on NSC shares. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $310.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Evercore set a $325.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Norfolk Southern from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $322.71.

About Norfolk Southern

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.