West Paces Advisors Inc. Increases Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

West Paces Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 953.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,636 shares of the railroad operator's stock after buying an additional 6,911 shares during the period. West Paces Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $1,809,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on NSC shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $293.00 price target on the stock. Barclays decreased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $247.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $267.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $278.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $267.24.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NSC traded up $2.36 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $252.93. The stock had a trading volume of 2,161,667 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,230,513. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $201.63 and a twelve month high of $277.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.88, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.90. The company's 50-day moving average price is $229.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $240.32.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last issued 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). The firm had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. The company's revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.49 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.13%. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.89%.

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.