Mather Group LLC. Buys 55 Shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC)

Mather Group LLC. increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 1.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,995 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $709,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Greenline Partners LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:NSC opened at $261.96 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $59.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.31. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 1 year low of $201.63 and a 1 year high of $277.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $242.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $239.47.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.72 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.65% and a net margin of 27.40%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.49 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.06%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 2nd. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on NSC. UBS Group boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $247.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $260.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on Norfolk Southern in a research report on Tuesday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $255.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $259.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $267.48.

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.