Xponance Inc. Increases Holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Xponance Inc. grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 28,904 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 622 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $6,832,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of NSC. Boltwood Capital Management increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 2,145 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $507,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC now owns 1,896 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $448,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Bridge Creek Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 0.5% during the third quarter. Bridge Creek Capital Management LLC now owns 10,454 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,059,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 4,403 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,041,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management now owns 5,641 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,333,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $185.00 to $175.00 in a report on Monday, January 29th. Susquehanna decreased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Loop Capital increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $261.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $238.00 to $302.00 in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $236.00 to $253.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.74.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.4 %

NSC opened at $241.28 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $252.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $230.80. The company has a market capitalization of $59.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.08, a PEG ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52 week low of $183.09 and a 52 week high of $263.66.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 15.03% and a return on equity of 21.06%. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.42 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 2nd were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 1st. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.24%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.33%.

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.