Searle & CO. Has $906,000 Holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Searle & CO. raised its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,833 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Searle & CO.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $906,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of NSC. Provence Wealth Management Group bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 662.5% in the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 122 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Operose Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NSC traded up $0.26 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $230.58. The stock had a trading volume of 1,618,085 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,323,807. The company has a market cap of $52.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.68. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1 year low of $183.09 and a 1 year high of $263.66. The business has a fifty day moving average of $251.14 and a 200 day moving average of $233.41.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.58 by ($0.09). Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.61% and a net margin of 11.76%. The business had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.32 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.34%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is currently 86.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on NSC shares. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $294.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $185.00 to $175.00 in a report on Monday, January 29th. Loop Capital increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $261.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $277.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.