Focus Partners Wealth Raises Stake in Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Focus Partners Wealth lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 51.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 175,575 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 59,580 shares during the quarter. Focus Partners Wealth owned about 0.08% of Norfolk Southern worth $50,760,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. BNP Paribas purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 933.3% during the 4th quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 93 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 239.3% during the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 95 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 669.2% during the 3rd quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 100 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NSC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $296.00 to $292.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Susquehanna upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $330.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. Wolfe Research upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $308.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $315.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $322.71.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 1.2%

NYSE NSC opened at $310.15 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $308.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $300.35. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $248.82 and a fifty-two week high of $326.00. The stock has a market cap of $69.66 billion, a PE ratio of 26.13, a P/E/G ratio of 5.79 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.49 by $0.16. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 21.91%.The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.13 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.69 EPS. Norfolk Southern’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 12.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th were given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.49%.

Norfolk Southern Company Profile

Norfolk Southern Corporation is a major U.S. freight railroad company that provides rail transportation and related logistics services. As a Class I carrier, the company operates an extensive network across the eastern United States and offers scheduled freight service for a broad range of industries. Its core operations include long-haul and regional rail freight transportation, intermodal services that move containers and trailers between rail and other modes, and terminal and switching services that support efficient rail shipments for industrial and port customers.

The company transports a variety of commodities, serving sectors such as coal and energy, automotive and automotive parts, chemicals, agriculture, metals and construction materials, and consumer goods.