Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Purchases 2,782 Shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 4.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 71,463 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 2,782 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $16,925,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in 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 worth $1,098,472,000 after purchasing an additional 113,648 shares during the period. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC increased 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 worth $1,333,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 472.3% during the 4th quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 43,054 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $10,105,000 after purchasing an additional 35,531 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 115,400.0% during the 1st quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,155 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $273,000 after purchasing an additional 1,154 shares during the period. Finally, Skylands Capital LLC increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Skylands Capital LLC now owns 63,670 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $14,943,000 after purchasing an additional 5,900 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.1%

NSC opened at $253.17 on Monday. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a one year low of $201.63 and a one year high of $277.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.07 billion, a PE ratio of 17.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.32. The business's 50 day moving average price is $236.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $238.99. 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 (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.72 by ($0.03). Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.65% and a net margin of 27.40%. The firm had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.49 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 2nd. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is currently 36.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NSC has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $279.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Barclays dropped their target price 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. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $278.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $260.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $293.00 target price on the stock. One investment 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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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