Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Increases Stake in Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 50.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,608 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,891 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $1,685,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,561,273 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $5,263,069,000 after acquiring an additional 239,914 shares during the period. Dodge & Cox grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 10,859,121 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,779,609,000 after purchasing an additional 192,567 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,822,075 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,228,064,000 after purchasing an additional 36,362 shares during the last quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.6% in the second quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 4,182,921 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,070,702,000 after purchasing an additional 184,586 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 6.5% in the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,289,431 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $841,994,000 after purchasing an additional 201,861 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NYSE:NSC opened at $287.31 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.47 billion, a PE ratio of 21.92, a P/E/G ratio of 5.03 and a beta of 1.33. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $201.63 and a fifty-two week high of $302.24. The company has a fifty day moving average of $289.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $285.10.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by ($0.01). Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.93% and a net margin of 24.22%.The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.25 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Benchmark reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $299.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $303.52.

Insider Activity at Norfolk Southern

In other news, Director William Jr. Clyburn acquired 204 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 5th. The shares were bought at an average price of $294.79 per share, for a total transaction of $60,137.16. Following the acquisition, the director owned 405 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $119,389.95. This trade represents a 101.49% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 1,650 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $282.97 per share, with a total value of $466,900.50. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 12,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,395,640. This represents a 15.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.06% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.