Avantra Family Wealth Inc. Purchases New Holdings in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC)

Avantra Family Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 1,189 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $282,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in NSC. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 16.9% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 304 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 3,097 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $727,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Shayne & Jacobs LLC increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Shayne & Jacobs LLC now owns 3,327 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $781,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Malaga Cove Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Malaga Cove Capital LLC now owns 2,451 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $575,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Salem Investment Counselors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.2% during the first quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 4,241 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,004,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NSC stock opened at $253.17 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.78. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 1 year low of $201.63 and a 1 year high of $277.60. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $236.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $239.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.07 billion, a PE ratio of 17.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.32.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.72 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.49 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.13%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 2nd. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on NSC shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $293.00 price objective for the company. Barclays dropped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and issued a $255.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $271.00 to $270.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report 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 for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $267.24.

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.

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