BridgePort Financial Solutions LLC Makes New $252,000 Investment in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

BridgePort Financial Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 1,042 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $252,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth $27,749,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth $2,843,000. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 52.0% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 1,666 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $391,000 after acquiring an additional 570 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 58.1% in the fourth quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 6,411 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,505,000 after acquiring an additional 2,357 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth $338,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock traded up $0.81 during trading on Friday, reaching $247.11. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,785,760 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,222,788. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $227.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $241.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. Norfolk Southern Co. has a one year low of $201.63 and a one year high of $277.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30.

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

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is currently 36.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $271.00 to $270.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $269.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $247.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $266.70.

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.