LifeGoal Wealth Advisors Takes $246,000 Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

LifeGoal Wealth Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,048 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $246,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.4% in the third quarter. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC now owns 1,749 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $435,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Archer Investment Corp lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 1,934 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $481,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. boosted its position in Norfolk Southern by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 6,881 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,615,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Maia Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Maia Wealth LLC now owns 1,044 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $264,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signal Advisors Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 960 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $225,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NSC opened at $244.92 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The company has a market capitalization of $55.46 billion, a PE ratio of 21.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $245.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $250.83. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1 year low of $206.71 and a 1 year high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on NSC shares. Stephens raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Loop Capital lowered Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $289.00 to $256.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $285.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $276.11.

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.