Community Bank N.A. Sells 200 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Community Bank N.A. cut its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,621 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Community Bank N.A.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $2,274,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth about $2,933,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth about $1,444,000. Pathstone Family Office LLC grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 200.1% during the third quarter. Pathstone Family Office LLC now owns 16,077 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,198,000 after purchasing an additional 10,719 shares in the last quarter. ClearBridge Investments Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth about $34,973,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 9.8% during the third quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 187,259 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $36,877,000 after purchasing an additional 16,727 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 3.6 %

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock traded down $8.89 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $236.14. 2,577,851 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,281,044. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.24. The company has a market cap of $58.14 billion, a PE ratio of 29.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $252.34 and a 200-day moving average of $232.12. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12 month low of $183.09 and a 12 month high of $263.66.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The railroad operator reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $3.10 billion for 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%. Norfolk Southern’s revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.42 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.29%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NSC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $270.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Norfolk Southern from $250.00 to $245.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Citigroup upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Norfolk Southern in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $300.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.