Hanlon Investment Management Inc. Purchases New Holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Hanlon Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 931 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $219,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of NSC. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 27.9% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 23,062 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $5,731,000 after purchasing an additional 5,032 shares in the last quarter. Wealthquest Corp acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at approximately $216,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 14,265 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,545,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 10.7% during the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,226 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,790,000 after acquiring an additional 1,089 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NSC opened at $221.06 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $236.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $246.56. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $201.63 and a twelve month high of $277.60. The company has a market capitalization of $54.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.12, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. As a group, analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 46.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NSC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Bank of America dropped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $260.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $268.79.

Insider Activity

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the purchase, the director now owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $646,271.82. The trade was a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.