KLCM Advisors Inc. Sells 44 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

KLCM Advisors Inc. reduced its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 3,025 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 44 shares during the period. KLCM Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $715,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,933,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,444,000. Pathstone Family Office LLC grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 200.1% in the third 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 last quarter. ClearBridge Investments Ltd purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at about $34,973,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 9.8% in the third 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 last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NYSE:NSC traded down $2.66 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $242.91. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 823,417 shares, compared to its average volume of 954,892. Norfolk Southern Co. has a fifty-two week low of $183.09 and a fifty-two week high of $263.66. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $253.73 and its 200-day moving average is $230.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market cap of $59.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 26th. The railroad operator reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.87 by ($0.04). Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 21.06% and a net margin of 15.03%. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.42 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 2nd were given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 1st. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.22%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NSC has been the topic of several analyst reports. Susquehanna cut their target price on Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. UBS Group upgraded Norfolk Southern from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $238.00 to $302.00 in a research note on Monday, March 4th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Norfolk Southern from $250.00 to $245.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Norfolk Southern in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $300.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $262.33.

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.