Mayfair Advisory Group LLC Raises Stock Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Mayfair Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,001 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the quarter. Mayfair Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $1,174,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 1.8% in the third quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,265 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $563,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC now owns 1,749 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $435,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.2% during the third quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,043 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $256,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 3.8% in the third quarter. Stratos Investment Management LLC now owns 1,154 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $287,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Archer Investment Corp boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 1,934 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $481,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NYSE NSC opened at $238.80 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $252.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $246.23. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52 week low of $206.71 and a 52 week high of $277.60. The stock has a market cap of $54.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.11 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.08 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.25% and a net margin of 19.85%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.65 EPS. Analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.82 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 1st. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is currently 50.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on NSC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $283.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $289.00 to $309.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. TD Cowen upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $275.68.

Insider Activity at Norfolk Southern

In other news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,580,979.50. This trade represents a 3.50 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.