Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Buys 220 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. increased its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 3.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,424 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $1,379,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of NSC. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.1% in the second quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 19,960 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,285,000 after buying an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 13,192.9% in the 2nd quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 1,861 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $400,000 after acquiring an additional 1,847 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 8.5% in the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 31,207 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $6,700,000 after acquiring an additional 2,451 shares in the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 7,337 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,575,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,248 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NSC opened at $245.99 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $243.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $237.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market cap of $55.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.61, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.31. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1-year low of $183.09 and a 1-year high of $263.66.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.04 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 14.85% and a return on equity of 19.64%. Norfolk Southern’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.95 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Friday, August 2nd were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 2nd. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 86.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NSC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Benchmark increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 8th. Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $251.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $175.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Monday, July 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $264.24.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 700 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $245.15 per share, for a total transaction of $171,605.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,887,655. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $245.15 per share, with a total value of $171,605.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 7,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,887,655. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Nabanita C. Nag sold 355 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total value of $88,529.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,488 shares in the company, valued at $371,077.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Norfolk Southern 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.