Larson Financial Group LLC Has $491,000 Position in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC)

Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 4.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,072 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $491,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Norfolk Southern by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,089,164 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,714,927,000 after purchasing an additional 139,485 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 8,608,080 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,020,318,000 after purchasing an additional 918,559 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,694,573 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,098,472,000 after buying an additional 113,648 shares during the period. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 3,968,582 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $931,426,000 after purchasing an additional 75,865 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 13.8% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,073,933 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $721,452,000 after purchasing an additional 371,589 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 3.6%

Shares of NSC opened at $269.78 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $60.82 billion, a PE ratio of 18.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.31. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 52-week low of $201.63 and a 52-week high of $282.63. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $251.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $241.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.72 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.01 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.65% and a net margin of 27.40%. Norfolk Southern’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.49 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Corporation 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 paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.00%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 36.89%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $278.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $271.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. 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, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $279.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $274.55.

Norfolk Southern 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.