RWA Wealth Partners LLC Invests $1.19 Million in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

RWA Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 5,050 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,194,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 1,016 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 7,456 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,762,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Boltwood Capital Management lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 2,145 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $507,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC now owns 1,896 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $448,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Salem Investment Counselors Inc. lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 4,403 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,041,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NYSE NSC opened at $236.14 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.44, a P/E/G ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.30. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $252.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $232.12. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1 year low of $183.09 and a 1 year high of $263.66.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The railroad operator reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.87 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.09 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 21.06% and a net margin of 15.03%. The business’s revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.42 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.93 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 Monday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.29%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 67.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on NSC shares. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $250.00 to $245.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. UBS Group raised shares of Norfolk Southern from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $238.00 to $302.00 in a report on Monday, March 4th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $300.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. One equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.74.

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.