North Star Asset Management Inc. Has $856,000 Stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

North Star Asset Management Inc. reduced its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 7.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,620 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 300 shares during the period. North Star Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $856,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of NSC. CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.2% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,352 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,054,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,604 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,073,000 after acquiring an additional 1,231 shares during the last quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 9,431 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,857,000 after acquiring an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.5% during the third quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 24,181 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,762,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Impact Partnership Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $68,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NYSE:NSC traded up $0.88 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $242.16. 198,292 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,257,131. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52 week low of $183.09 and a 52 week high of $263.66. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $252.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $231.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. The firm has a market cap of $59.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The railroad operator reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.09 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 15.03% and a return on equity of 21.06%. The business’s revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.42 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 2nd were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 1st. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $236.00 to $253.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Loop Capital upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $261.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.74.

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.