Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Has $31.16 Million Holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 131,823 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 4,673 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC owned 0.06% of Norfolk Southern worth $31,160,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,933,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $1,444,000. Pathstone Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 200.1% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. ClearBridge Investments Ltd acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth $34,973,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 9.8% during the third quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 187,259 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $36,877,000 after acquiring an additional 16,727 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NSC opened at $235.55 on Friday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a fifty-two week low of $183.09 and a fifty-two week 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $249.71 and a 200 day moving average of $233.59. The firm has a market cap of $53.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.93, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.58 by ($0.09). Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.61% and a net margin of 11.76%. The business had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.05 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.32 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.62 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Investors 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 yield of 2.29%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 86.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $277.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley lowered Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $185.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Susquehanna decreased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Barclays raised shares of Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $255.00 to $305.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $294.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. 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 currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $262.32.

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.