Apollon Wealth Management LLC Boosts Holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Apollon Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 12.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,173 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,351 shares during the quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $2,877,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 662.5% during the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 122 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Provence Wealth Management Group acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 317.1% during the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 146 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Norfolk Southern stock traded up $1.86 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $232.33. 1,296,309 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,327,475. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. Norfolk Southern Co. has a one year low of $183.09 and a one year high of $263.66. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $249.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $234.20. The company has a market cap of $52.49 billion, a PE ratio of 37.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.32 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.62 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 3rd will be paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.32%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 86.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on NSC. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley downgraded Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $185.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Monday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $250.00 to $245.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. 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. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.32.

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.