Guardian Investment Management Sells 50 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Guardian Investment Management reduced its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 2.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,175 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 50 shares during the period. Guardian Investment Management’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $514,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Boltwood Capital Management raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 2,145 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $507,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Cadinha & Co. LLC raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC now owns 1,896 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $448,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 23.6% in the third quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC now owns 262 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Bridge Creek Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.5% in the third quarter. Bridge Creek Capital Management LLC now owns 10,454 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,059,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Salem Investment Counselors Inc. raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.1% in the fourth 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. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.8 %

NYSE NSC traded up $1.81 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $241.15. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 533,869 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,269,527. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $253.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $230.38. The stock has a market cap of $59.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.35, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52 week low of $183.09 and a 52 week high of $263.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 26th. The railroad operator reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.42 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 2nd were paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on NSC. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of 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. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $250.00 to $245.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 29th. TheStreet upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 21st. Citigroup upped their price target 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, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $270.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.