Arete Wealth Advisors LLC Purchases Shares of 1,443 Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Arete Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 1,443 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $339,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. World Investment Advisors increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 11,555 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $2,712,000 after acquiring an additional 329 shares during the period. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,777 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,118,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the period. OneAscent Financial Services LLC raised its position in Norfolk Southern by 156.1% during the 4th quarter. OneAscent Financial Services LLC now owns 2,443 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $573,000 after purchasing an additional 1,489 shares in the last quarter. Bryce Point Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth $505,000. Finally, RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth $486,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, March 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $293.00 target price for the company. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $268.68.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NSC stock traded up $2.48 during trading on Friday, reaching $217.94. The company had a trading volume of 1,401,075 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,248,152. The company has a market cap of $53.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $201.63 and a twelve month high of $277.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.90. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $237.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $246.72.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.71%.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

About Norfolk Southern

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.