Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. Has $2.94 Million Stake in Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. raised its position in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 23.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 10,185 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,960 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $2,941,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of NSC. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,706 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $400,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 40.4% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,447 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,527,000 after purchasing an additional 1,855 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter worth $327,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 64.1% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 4,275 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,094,000 after acquiring an additional 1,670 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 14.7% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,550 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $397,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NSC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $301.00 to $296.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Benchmark reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, January 30th. Argus raised shares of Norfolk Southern to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Norfolk Southern to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $307.89.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock opened at $288.16 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.85. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 52-week low of $201.63 and a 52-week high of $319.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.60, a P/E/G ratio of 5.25 and a beta of 1.31. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $299.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $293.15.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.46. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 23.59% and a return on equity of 18.78%. The firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.04 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 42.35%.

Norfolk Southern Profile

Norfolk Southern Corporation is a major U.S. freight railroad company that provides rail transportation and related logistics services. As a Class I carrier, the company operates an extensive network across the eastern United States and offers scheduled freight service for a broad range of industries. Its core operations include long-haul and regional rail freight transportation, intermodal services that move containers and trailers between rail and other modes, and terminal and switching services that support efficient rail shipments for industrial and port customers.

The company transports a variety of commodities, serving sectors such as coal and energy, automotive and automotive parts, chemicals, agriculture, metals and construction materials, and consumer goods.