SRS Capital Advisors Inc. Grows Stock Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

SRS Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 63.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,393 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 542 shares during the period. SRS Capital Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $329,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,933,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,444,000. Pathstone Family Office LLC increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 200.1% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Family Office LLC now owns 16,077 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,198,000 after purchasing an additional 10,719 shares during the period. ClearBridge Investments Ltd purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,973,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 9.8% during the 3rd quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 187,259 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $36,877,000 after purchasing an additional 16,727 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on NSC shares. Susquehanna reduced their price target on Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $270.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Norfolk Southern in a research report on Monday, April 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $300.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $250.00 to $245.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $294.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $262.32.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.7 %

NSC stock traded up $1.75 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $235.55. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,072,692 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,327,953. The company has a market cap of $53.21 billion, a PE ratio of 37.93, a P/E/G ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12 month low of $183.09 and a 12 month high of $263.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $250.16 and its 200-day moving average is $233.40.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 11.76% and a return on equity of 19.61%. The business’s revenue was down 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.32 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 3rd will be given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.