Catalyst Financial Partners LLC Sells 569 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Catalyst Financial Partners LLC lowered its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 16.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,866 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 569 shares during the period. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $677,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NSC. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 35.8% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 14,810 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,917,000 after purchasing an additional 3,905 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 40,682 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $8,012,000 after purchasing an additional 2,674 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 20,590 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,962,000 after buying an additional 1,342 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 5.0% in the third quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,680 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $331,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Washington Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth approximately $930,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $250.00 to $245.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Loop Capital increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $261.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $270.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $236.00 to $253.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.32.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 2.5 %

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock traded down $5.79 during trading on Thursday, hitting $226.35. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,717,549 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,363,551. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52 week low of $183.09 and a 52 week high of $263.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.68. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $248.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $234.40. The company has a market capitalization of $51.13 billion, a PE ratio of 36.45, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.58 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.05 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 11.76% and a return on equity of 19.61%. Norfolk Southern’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.32 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.39%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is presently 86.96%.

Norfolk Southern Company Profile

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.