819 Shares in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Acquired by Fullcircle Wealth LLC

Fullcircle Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 819 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $211,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of NSC. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at about $547,575,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 11.9% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 8,608,080 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,020,318,000 after buying an additional 918,559 shares during the period. Boston Partners lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,020,392 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $945,385,000 after buying an additional 580,293 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 293.7% in the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 671,680 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $157,643,000 after acquiring an additional 501,053 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 56.4% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 1,302,635 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $308,607,000 after acquiring an additional 469,558 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 1.8 %

NYSE NSC opened at $224.02 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12 month low of $201.63 and a 12 month high of $277.60. The company has a market capitalization of $50.50 billion, a PE ratio of 19.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $226.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $243.19.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its 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). Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. The firm had revenue of $2.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.49 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.41%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NSC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $269.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $293.00 price target for the company. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $285.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $266.10.

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.