W Advisors LLC Purchases 78 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

W Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,512 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. W Advisors LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $357,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NSC. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 662.5% during the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 122 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Provence Wealth Management Group acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 317.1% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 146 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:NSC traded up $1.75 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $235.55. 1,072,692 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,327,953. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $249.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $233.59. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12 month low of $183.09 and a 12 month high of $263.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.93, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.58 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.61% and a net margin of 11.76%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.32 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is presently 86.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Norfolk Southern from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $272.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley cut Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $185.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $300.00 target price for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $250.00 to $245.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.32.

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.