Axxcess Wealth Management LLC Trims Holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Axxcess Wealth Management LLC lessened its stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 13,091 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 259 shares during the quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $3,072,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was bought at an average price of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NSC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Stephens lifted 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $293.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Loop Capital cut Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $276.95.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 0.0 %

Norfolk Southern stock opened at $234.37 on Wednesday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52 week low of $206.71 and a 52 week high of $277.60. The stock has a market cap of $53.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.27, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $246.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $250.25. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. On average, analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.30%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.