CWS Financial Advisors LLC Acquires 143 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

CWS Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 16.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,019 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. CWS Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $239,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Addison Advisors LLC increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 957 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $225,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $440,000. W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co now owns 35,648 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $8,367,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. Skylands Capital LLC increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Skylands Capital LLC now owns 63,670 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $14,943,000 after purchasing an additional 5,900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Edge Capital Group LLC increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 45.7% in the fourth quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC now owns 60,617 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $14,227,000 after purchasing an additional 19,008 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on NSC. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Stephens upped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report 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 company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $276.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,580,979.50. This trade represents a 3.50 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NSC opened at $243.75 on Tuesday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12 month low of $206.71 and a 12 month high of $277.60. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $245.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $250.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.09, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its earnings results 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%. Research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.71%.

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.