Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC Sells 20,473 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC reduced its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 62.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,157 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 20,473 shares during the quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC's holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $2,853,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Atlantic Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 1.1 %

NSC traded up $2.51 during trading on Friday, reaching $224.28. 1,051,035 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,238,484. The company's fifty day moving average price is $227.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $243.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.56 billion, a PE ratio of 19.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a fifty-two week low of $201.63 and a fifty-two week high of $277.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.90.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. The company had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. During the same period last year, the firm 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 analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd will be given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.41%. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio is 36.89%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on NSC shares. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $269.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $285.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays cut their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated a "market perform" rating and set a $255.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven 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 price target of $266.10.

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.