Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Sold by Private Advisor Group LLC

Private Advisor Group LLC reduced its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 7.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 23,358 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,912 shares during the quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $5,521,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 1,679 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $397,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $219,000. GUNN & Co INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC. acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth about $299,000. Spire Wealth Management grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 7,114 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,665,000 after purchasing an additional 264 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth $213,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE NSC opened at $232.07 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12-month low of $183.09 and a 12-month high of $263.66. The company has a market cap of $52.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.37, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $248.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $234.41.

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. Research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

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 Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on NSC shares. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Norfolk Southern from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $272.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. TD Cowen raised 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 report on Thursday, March 21st. Loop Capital boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $261.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.32.

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.