4,870 Shares in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Bought by Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc.

Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 4,870 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,143,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 16.9% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 304 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Albert D Mason Inc. raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 6,881 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,615,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 960 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 2,507 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $588,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Leavell Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,816 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,365,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NSC stock opened at $221.65 on Monday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1-year low of $201.63 and a 1-year high of $277.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The company has a market capitalization of $54.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $230.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $244.92.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.72 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.44%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.89%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the purchase, the director now owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NSC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $255.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $259.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $266.10.

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.