Capricorn Fund Managers Ltd Acquires Shares of 25,000 Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Capricorn Fund Managers Ltd acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 25,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $7,218,000. Norfolk Southern accounts for about 1.7% of Capricorn Fund Managers Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Pentwater Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at about $826,128,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in Norfolk Southern by 545.2% during the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,306,203 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $392,396,000 after purchasing an additional 1,103,748 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at approximately $329,629,000. Holocene Advisors LP grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 550.6% in the second quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 983,366 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $251,712,000 after purchasing an additional 832,210 shares during the period. Finally, TOMS Capital Investment Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the second quarter valued at approximately $181,995,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on NSC shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price on Norfolk Southern from $322.00 to $313.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $310.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Argus upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wolfe Research increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $361.00 to $368.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $307.89.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NSC opened at $288.18 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 1 year low of $201.63 and a 1 year high of $319.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.55 billion, a PE ratio of 22.60, a P/E/G ratio of 5.25 and a beta of 1.31. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $299.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $293.11.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.46. The firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.78% and a net margin of 23.59%.The firm’s revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.04 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.35%.

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.