Yousif Capital Management LLC Sells 1,578 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Yousif Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 4.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 35,209 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,578 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $8,323,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. MCF Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 1,016 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $240,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 7,456 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,762,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Boltwood Capital Management grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 2,145 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $507,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Cadinha & Co. LLC increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC now owns 1,896 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $448,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Salem Investment Counselors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 4,403 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,041,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on NSC. Benchmark lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $250.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Barclays upgraded Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $255.00 to $305.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $250.00 to $245.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.74.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NSC stock opened at $236.22 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12 month low of $183.09 and a 12 month high of $263.66. The firm has a market cap of $58.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.44, a P/E/G ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.30. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $252.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $232.12.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.58 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 15.03% and a return on equity of 21.06%. The business’s revenue was down 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.32 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.29%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 67.33%.

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.