Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI Has $1.30 Million Stock Holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI lifted its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 8.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,516 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 418 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $1,304,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 1,016 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $240,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 7,456 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,762,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Boltwood Capital Management boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 2,145 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $507,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Cadinha & Co. LLC boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC now owns 1,896 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $448,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Finally, Salem Investment Counselors Inc. raised its stake in Norfolk Southern by 1.1% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NSC stock opened at $239.94 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $54.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52 week low of $183.09 and a 52 week high of $263.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $251.83 and a 200-day moving average of $232.71.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.58 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.61% and a net margin of 11.76%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.32 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 86.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Norfolk Southern in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $300.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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, April 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Norfolk Southern from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $272.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.32.

About Norfolk Southern

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.