Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) Stake Reduced by Uncommon Cents Investing LLC

Uncommon Cents Investing LLC lessened its holdings in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 1.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,967 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 346 shares during the quarter. Norfolk Southern comprises approximately 1.8% of Uncommon Cents Investing LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $6,150,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,706 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $400,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 11,566 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,715,000 after purchasing an additional 861 shares during the period. Wolverine Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 25.0% during the 4th quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 2,500 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $587,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 3,773 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $886,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Funds Management LTD acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,320,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NYSE NSC opened at $253.17 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $236.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $238.99. The company has a market cap of $57.07 billion, a PE ratio of 17.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.32. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 1-year low of $201.63 and a 1-year high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 27.40% and a return on equity of 19.65%. The firm had revenue of $2.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.49 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.13%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is presently 36.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $293.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $278.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $255.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $259.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock 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 issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.