Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. Makes New $213,000 Investment in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 900 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $213,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Provence Wealth Management Group acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 662.5% in the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 122 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Operose Advisors LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NSC traded up $1.75 during trading on Friday, hitting $235.55. 1,072,692 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,327,953. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $249.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $233.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.68. The company has a market capitalization of $53.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1-year low of $183.09 and a 1-year high of $263.66.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.58 by ($0.09). Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.61% and a net margin of 11.76%. The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.32 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.29%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 86.96%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on NSC. Loop Capital raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $261.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $250.00 to $245.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Norfolk Southern from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $272.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.