Uncommon Cents Investing LLC Has $6.66 Million Stock Holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Uncommon Cents Investing LLC lowered its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 0.5% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 26,125 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 135 shares during the quarter. Norfolk Southern comprises about 2.0% of Uncommon Cents Investing LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $6,658,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 956 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $226,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 1,016 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $240,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Fiduciary Group LLC lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Group LLC now owns 9,986 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,360,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 7,456 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,762,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 1,679 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $397,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NSC traded up $0.75 on Thursday, reaching $216.30. 410,016 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,100,940. The company has a fifty day moving average of $225.50 and a 200-day moving average of $238.60. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $183.09 and a twelve month high of $263.66. The company has a market capitalization of $48.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.83, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.58 by ($0.09). Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.61% and a net margin of 11.76%. The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.32 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 3rd were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.50%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is presently 86.96%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NSC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Loop Capital upped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $261.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $262.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 2,000 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 14th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $219.25 per share, for a total transaction of $438,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 7,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,534,750. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 2,000 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 14th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $219.25 per share, for a total transaction of $438,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 7,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,534,750. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Claude Mongeau purchased 5,650 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 29th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $221.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,248,650.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 20,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,420,000. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

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.