apricus wealth LLC Grows Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

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

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NSC opened at $251.39 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $231.12 and its 200 day moving average is $240.48. The company has a market capitalization of $56.67 billion, a PE ratio of 21.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.32. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12-month low of $201.63 and a 12-month high of $277.60. 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 (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). Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. The business had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.01 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.49 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 2nd. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 36.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on NSC shares. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $247.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. UBS Group raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $260.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $255.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $271.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $267.24.

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.