Clarius Group LLC Has $538,000 Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Clarius Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 12.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,275 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the period. Clarius Group LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $538,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Provence Wealth Management Group bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 662.5% during the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 122 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Operose Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 1.6 %

NSC opened at $245.74 on Friday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1-year low of $183.09 and a 1-year high of $263.66. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $253.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $229.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. The stock has a market cap of $60.50 billion, a PE ratio of 30.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The railroad operator reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by ($0.04). Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 15.03% and a return on equity of 21.06%. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.42 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 12 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 2nd were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 1st. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 67.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on NSC shares. Susquehanna cut their target price on Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Norfolk Southern in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $300.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their target price for the company from $185.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $270.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $236.00 to $253.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.33.

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.