AM Investment Strategies LLC Invests $229,000 in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

AM Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 970 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $229,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Syon Capital LLC increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 18.8% during the fourth quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 2,012 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $476,000 after acquiring an additional 319 shares during the period. Bank of New Hampshire increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 17.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 1,690 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $399,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. Lyell Wealth Management LP bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at about $307,000. Bailard Inc. increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 4,271 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,010,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the period. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 4,796 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,134,000 after acquiring an additional 346 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 1.9 %

Norfolk Southern stock traded up $4.47 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $240.69. 1,854,411 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,287,560. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.01, a PEG ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.30. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $252.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $232.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. Norfolk Southern Co. has a fifty-two week low of $183.09 and a fifty-two week high of $263.66.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.58 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 15.03% and a return on equity of 21.06%. Norfolk Southern’s revenue was down 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.32 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 2nd. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is currently 67.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on NSC shares. Barclays upgraded Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $305.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley lowered Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $185.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $270.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $250.00 to $245.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.32.

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.