Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Stock Holdings Increased by OneAscent Financial Services LLC

OneAscent Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 156.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,443 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,489 shares during the period. OneAscent Financial Services LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $573,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 1.0 %

NSC stock opened at $238.95 on Thursday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $206.71 and a twelve month high of $277.60. 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 cap of $54.11 billion, a PE ratio of 20.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $244.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $248.79.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 46.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on NSC. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Stephens increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $272.74.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere purchased 607 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.