Mayfair Advisory Group LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Mayfair Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,001 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the quarter. Mayfair Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $1,174,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Coastline Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on NSC. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $241.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $272.00 to $282.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $289.00 to $309.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $275.68.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other news, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $255.00 per share, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,550,000. The trade was a 11.11 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NYSE NSC opened at $238.80 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $252.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $246.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $206.71 and a twelve month high of $277.60. The company has a market capitalization of $54.03 billion, a PE ratio of 22.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.34.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.11 by $0.14. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 19.85% and a return on equity of 20.25%. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.65 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 1st. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.26%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.70%.

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.