Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC Has $819,000 Stock Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 5.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,491 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $819,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Atlantic Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NSC opened at $223.69 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12 month low of $201.63 and a 12 month high of $277.60. The company has a market cap of $50.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $225.86 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $242.84.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.72 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $2.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.01 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.49 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

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 given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.41%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is currently 36.89%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NSC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays dropped their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Loop Capital downgraded Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $285.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. One investment 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $266.10.

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.