Axxcess Wealth Management LLC Buys 9,114 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Axxcess Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 155.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,972 shares of the railroad operator's stock after acquiring an additional 9,114 shares during the quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $3,539,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,933,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth $1,444,000. Pathstone Family Office LLC increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 200.1% in the third quarter. Pathstone Family Office LLC now owns 16,077 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $3,198,000 after purchasing an additional 10,719 shares in the last quarter. ClearBridge Investments Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at about $34,973,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 9.8% during the 3rd quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 187,259 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $36,877,000 after purchasing an additional 16,727 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock traded up $1.75 on Friday, reaching $235.55. 1,072,692 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,327,953. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.21 billion, a PE ratio of 37.93, a PEG ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a 50 day moving average of $249.71 and a 200 day moving average of $233.59. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52 week low of $183.09 and a 52 week high of $263.66.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.58 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 11.76% and a return on equity of 19.61%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.32 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 86.96%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on NSC shares. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Norfolk Southern from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $272.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. TD Cowen increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $236.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Barclays raised shares of Norfolk Southern from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $305.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $262.32.

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.