RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC Takes $486,000 Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,071 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $486,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth $547,575,000. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth about $207,830,000. Boston Partners raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 16.9% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,020,392 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $945,385,000 after acquiring an additional 580,293 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 56.4% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,302,635 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $308,607,000 after purchasing an additional 469,558 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $105,225,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NSC opened at $236.46 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The company has a market capitalization of $53.54 billion, a PE ratio of 20.45, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $244.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $248.86. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $206.71 and a twelve month high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 46.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on NSC. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $293.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $285.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Susquehanna reduced their target price on Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $274.84.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere purchased 607 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was bought at an average price of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the purchase, the director now owns 2,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $646,271.82. The trade was a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

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.