Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Sold by Sage Investment Advisers LLC

Sage Investment Advisers LLC lowered its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 3,585 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 100 shares during the period. Sage Investment Advisers LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $847,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 1,016 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $240,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Group LLC now owns 9,986 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,360,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 7,456 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,762,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 1,679 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $397,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boltwood Capital Management increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 2,145 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $507,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE:NSC traded down $0.18 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $232.14. The company had a trading volume of 1,182,663 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,325,821. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1 year low of $183.09 and a 1 year high of $263.66. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $248.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $234.41. 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 has a market capitalization of $52.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.33, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.30.

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

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 2nd. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 86.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on NSC shares. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $300.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $236.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Barclays raised Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $255.00 to $305.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $262.32.

About Norfolk Southern

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.