Albert D Mason Inc. Buys 74 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Albert D Mason Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 1.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,955 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. Norfolk Southern makes up about 1.1% of Albert D Mason Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Albert D Mason Inc.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $1,647,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE NSC opened at $251.35 on Friday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1-year low of $201.63 and a 1-year high of $277.60. The company has a market cap of $56.67 billion, a PE ratio of 21.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The company has a 50-day moving average of $231.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $240.31.

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

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on NSC. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $271.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $278.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $259.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $267.24.

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.