Xponance Inc. Has $6.83 Million Stock Holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Xponance Inc. grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 28,904 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 622 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $6,832,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Boltwood Capital Management increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 2,145 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $507,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC now owns 1,896 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $448,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Bridge Creek Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Norfolk Southern by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bridge Creek Capital Management LLC now owns 10,454 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,059,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 4,403 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,041,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Wealth Management grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management now owns 5,641 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,333,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NSC opened at $241.28 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $59.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.30. The business’s fifty day moving average is $252.95 and its 200 day moving average is $230.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12-month low of $183.09 and a 12-month high of $263.66.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The railroad operator reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.87 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.09 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 15.03% and a return on equity of 21.06%. Norfolk Southern’s revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.42 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 2nd were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 1st. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.24%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on NSC shares. Susquehanna cut their price target on Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $185.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Barclays upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $255.00 to $305.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Norfolk Southern from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $272.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.74.

Norfolk Southern 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.