RFG Advisory LLC Acquires 103 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

RFG Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 9.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,214 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the quarter. RFG Advisory LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $287,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the first quarter valued at $30,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 662.5% during the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 122 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Provence Wealth Management Group bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 317.1% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 146 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 1.7 %

NYSE:NSC opened at $245.59 on Friday. 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 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.24. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $253.97 and its 200-day moving average is $229.21. The firm has a market cap of $60.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.62, a P/E/G ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The railroad operator reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by ($0.04). Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 15.03% and a return on equity of 21.06%. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.09 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.42 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 2nd were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 1st. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on NSC shares. Citigroup lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $236.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $250.00 to $245.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.33.

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.