Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. Acquires New Holdings in Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 548,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $158,509,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 207.1% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 86 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. BNP Paribas purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 933.3% during the fourth 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 period. Finally, MMA Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth about $28,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:NSC opened at $304.99 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $303.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $298.30. 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 Corporation has a 1 year low of $241.82 and a 1 year high of $326.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.50 billion, a PE ratio of 25.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.69 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.49 by $0.16. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 18.30%. The firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.13 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.69 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 12.11 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on NSC. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $322.00 to $313.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $296.00 to $292.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Norfolk Southern from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, UBS Group set a $327.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $319.83.

Norfolk Southern 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.