Columbia Trust Co 01012016 Increases Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Columbia Trust Co 01012016 lifted its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 18.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,884 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 613 shares during the period. Columbia Trust Co 01012016’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $918,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of NSC. Boltwood Capital Management boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 2,145 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $507,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 23.6% in the 3rd quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC now owns 262 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Bridge Creek Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bridge Creek Capital Management LLC now owns 10,454 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,059,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 4,403 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,041,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Horan Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Horan Securities Inc. now owns 1,578 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $311,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NYSE:NSC traded down $0.81 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $247.22. 1,515,202 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,384,007. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $250.38 and its 200-day moving average is $224.75. The firm has a market cap of $60.87 billion, a PE ratio of 30.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $183.09 and a twelve month high of $263.66.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 26th. The railroad operator reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.09 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 21.06% and a net margin of 15.03%. The business’s revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.42 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 12.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 2nd were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 1st. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NSC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. 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 report on Monday, January 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $236.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $250.00 to $245.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Barclays raised shares of Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $305.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $248.94.

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.