Sage Mountain Advisors LLC Has $354,000 Stock Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Sage Mountain Advisors LLC cut its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 9.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,497 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 152 shares during the quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $354,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at $2,933,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,444,000. Pathstone Family Office LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 10,719 shares during the period. ClearBridge Investments Ltd acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth about $34,973,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 9.8% during the third quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 187,259 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $36,877,000 after acquiring an additional 16,727 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NSC stock opened at $244.61 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $60.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.50, a PEG ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12 month low of $183.09 and a 12 month high of $263.66. 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 has a 50-day moving average price of $252.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $231.71.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The railroad operator reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.87 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.09 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 15.03% and a return on equity of 21.06%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.42 EPS. Research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.98 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 2nd were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 1st. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 67.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $250.00 to $245.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective 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 raised Norfolk Southern from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $238.00 to $302.00 in a report on Monday, March 4th. Finally, 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 price target on the stock. One 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.74.

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.