Moore Capital Management LP Raises Stock Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Moore Capital Management LP lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 700.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 94,286 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 82,509 shares during the period. Moore Capital Management LP’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $22,129,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 16.9% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 304 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its stake in Norfolk Southern by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 3,097 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $727,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Albert D Mason Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 6,881 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,615,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 960 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 2,507 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $588,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NSC has been the topic of several analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $293.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $259.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $247.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $266.10.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NSC stock opened at $223.69 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm has a market cap of $50.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.35, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. The company’s 50 day moving average is $225.86 and its 200 day moving average is $242.76. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52-week low of $201.63 and a 52-week high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.72 by ($0.03). Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. The firm had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.49 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate 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 issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.41%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.89%.

About Norfolk Southern

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.