Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Holdings Decreased by Bfsg LLC

Bfsg LLC reduced its holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 2.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,222 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 850 shares during the period. Norfolk Southern comprises about 1.1% of Bfsg LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Bfsg LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $7,617,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CWM LLC grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 2.2% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,352 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,054,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 8.6% in the third quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,604 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,073,000 after buying an additional 1,231 shares during the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 0.5% in the third quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 24,181 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,762,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at approximately $68,000. Finally, BTC Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 0.6% in the third quarter. BTC Capital Management Inc. now owns 39,342 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $7,748,000 after acquiring an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on NSC. Morgan Stanley lowered Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $185.00 to $175.00 in a report on Monday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Loop Capital boosted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $261.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on 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 research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.74.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 1.0 %

NYSE NSC traded down $2.33 on Thursday, reaching $233.89. The company had a trading volume of 266,048 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,269,182. The company’s fifty day moving average is $252.34 and its 200-day moving average is $232.12. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1-year low of $183.09 and a 1-year high of $263.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.24.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.58 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 15.03% and a return on equity of 21.06%. Norfolk Southern’s revenue was down 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.32 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.31%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is presently 67.33%.

About Norfolk Southern

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.