Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC Has $250,000 Stock Holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 10.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,065 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $250,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of NSC. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the third quarter worth $25,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NSC opened at $247.84 on Friday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $206.71 and a twelve month high of $277.60. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $245.46 and its 200-day moving average is $250.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.44, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.35.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NSC has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Loop Capital lowered shares of Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $289.00 to $256.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. One research 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 MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.