Apella Capital LLC Acquires Shares of 1,731 Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Apella Capital LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,731 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $524,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in NSC. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. BNP Paribas acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 933.3% in the fourth quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 93 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 239.3% in the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 95 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 669.2% during the third quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 100 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NSC opened at $312.88 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $70.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.36, a P/E/G ratio of 5.77 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $310.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $301.10. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 1-year low of $254.18 and a 1-year high of $326.00.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.49 by $0.16. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 21.91%.The firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.13 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.69 earnings per share. Norfolk Southern’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 12.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 8th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is presently 45.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on NSC. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Evercore set a $325.00 target price on Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Barclays increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on Norfolk Southern from $360.00 to $320.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $296.00 to $292.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $320.35.

Norfolk Southern Profile

Norfolk Southern Corporation is a major U.S. freight railroad company that provides rail transportation and related logistics services. As a Class I carrier, the company operates an extensive network across the eastern United States and offers scheduled freight service for a broad range of industries. Its core operations include long-haul and regional rail freight transportation, intermodal services that move containers and trailers between rail and other modes, and terminal and switching services that support efficient rail shipments for industrial and port customers.

The company transports a variety of commodities, serving sectors such as coal and energy, automotive and automotive parts, chemicals, agriculture, metals and construction materials, and consumer goods.