First Command Advisory Services Inc. Sells 375 Shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

First Command Advisory Services Inc. lessened its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 34.0% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 728 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 375 shares during the period. First Command Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $186,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.3% during the second quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 1,640 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $420,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Gables Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.7% during the second quarter. Gables Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,466 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $375,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.7% during the second quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,429 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $622,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 30.5% during the second quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 184 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.9% during the first quarter. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida now owns 956 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $226,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.4%

NYSE NSC opened at $281.56 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $285.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $263.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $201.63 and a fifty-two week high of $302.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.18 billion, a PE ratio of 21.48, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.33.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.31 by ($0.01). Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.93% and a net margin of 24.22%.The business had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.25 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 7th will be paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 7th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on NSC shares. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $321.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $303.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Susquehanna boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Baird R W upgraded Norfolk Southern to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $299.70.

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.