MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC Invests $219,000 in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 925 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $219,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its position in 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 purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Provence Wealth Management Group acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its position in Norfolk Southern by 317.1% during the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 146 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NSC traded down $5.08 on Monday, reaching $230.47. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,605,619 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,327,833. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $249.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $233.98. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52-week low of $183.09 and a 52-week high of $263.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.29, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.30.

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

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. 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 2.34%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 86.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NSC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Monday, April 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $300.00 target price for the company. Susquehanna lowered their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $236.00 to $253.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock 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.