apricus wealth LLC Raises Stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

apricus wealth LLC boosted its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 16.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,678 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 242 shares during the quarter. apricus wealth LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $397,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,706 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $400,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 9,340 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,192,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Savant Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 10,239 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,403,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the period. Finally, Sapient Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 3,189 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $748,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NSC opened at $251.39 on Thursday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1-year low of $201.63 and a 1-year high of $277.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $231.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $240.48. The company has a market capitalization of $56.67 billion, a PE ratio of 21.75, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.32.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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). Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. The company had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.49 earnings per share. Norfolk Southern’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.15%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is presently 36.89%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on NSC shares. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $247.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $293.00 price target on the stock. Susquehanna dropped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays dropped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on Norfolk Southern from $267.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $267.24.

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.