Geneos Wealth Management Inc. Has $15.67 Million Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lessened its stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 7.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 66,280 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 5,495 shares during the period. Norfolk Southern comprises about 0.8% of Geneos Wealth Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Geneos Wealth Management Inc.'s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $15,667,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1,694.8% during the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 48,029 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $11,353,000 after acquiring an additional 45,353 shares during the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. RFG Advisory LLC grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 1,214 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $287,000 after buying an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 26.1% during the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 9,811 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $2,319,000 after buying an additional 2,033 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 25.7% during the fourth quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 3,756 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $888,000 after buying an additional 768 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NSC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Norfolk Southern from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $272.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. Barclays upgraded Norfolk Southern from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $305.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Citigroup increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Norfolk Southern from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut Norfolk Southern from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $185.00 to $175.00 in a report on Monday, January 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $257.41.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NSC traded up $3.13 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $253.39. 1,296,071 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,310,469. The business's 50-day moving average price is $253.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $228.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $62.39 billion, a PE ratio of 31.20, a P/E/G ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1-year low of $183.09 and a 1-year high of $263.66.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The railroad operator reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.87 by ($0.04). Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 15.03% and a return on equity of 21.06%. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.42 EPS. Norfolk Southern's revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 12.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 2nd were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 1st. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.13%. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio is presently 67.33%.

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.

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