44 Wealth Management LLC Invests $398,000 in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC)

44 Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 1,680 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $398,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 2.5% in 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 buying an additional 113,648 shares during the period. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $1,333,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 3,571 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $846,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 71,463 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $16,925,000 after purchasing an additional 2,782 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 8.3% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,179 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $990,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NSC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $255.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $269.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $260.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Baird R W upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target 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 research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $267.48.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE:NSC traded up $0.50 on Friday, reaching $262.50. The stock had a trading volume of 928,463 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,238,299. The company has a market cap of $59.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The firm's fifty day moving average is $244.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $239.75. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 12-month low of $201.63 and a 12-month high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last released its 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). The firm had revenue of $2.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.01 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 27.40% and a return on equity of 19.65%. Norfolk Southern's revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.49 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.06%. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.89%.

Norfolk Southern Company 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.