Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Sold by Bison Wealth LLC

Bison Wealth LLC reduced its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 56.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 883 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 1,151 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC's holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $207,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 3.6% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 255,200 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $63,417,000 after acquiring an additional 8,844 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,694,573 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,098,472,000 after purchasing an additional 113,648 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth about $1,796,000. Grandview Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $918,000. Finally, Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 5,678 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,333,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NYSE:NSC traded up $2.51 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $224.28. 1,051,035 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,238,484. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The company's 50 day moving average price is $227.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $243.90. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52-week low of $201.63 and a 52-week high of $277.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.40, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.72 by ($0.03). Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. The business had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.01 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.49 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be paid 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 payout ratio is currently 36.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NSC has been the topic of a number of research reports. Susquehanna reduced their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $250.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $247.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.