Norfolk Southern a Top Socially Responsible Dividend Stock With 2.1% Yield (NSC)

Norfolk Southern Corp. (NYSE: NSC) has been named a Top Socially Responsible Dividend Stock by Dividend Channel, signifying a stock with above-average ''DividendRank'' statistics including a strong 2.1% yield, as well as being recognized by prominent asset managers as being a socially responsible investment, through analysis of social and environmental criteria. Environmental criteria include considerations like the environmental impact of the company's products and services, as well as the company's efficiency in terms of its use of energy and resources. Social criteria include elements such as human rights, child labor, corporate diversity, and the company's impact on society — for instance, taken into consideration would be business activities tied to weapons, gambling, tobacco, and alcohol.

According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, Norfolk Southern Corp. is a member of both the iShares MSCI USA ESG Select Social Index Fund ETF (KLD), making up 1.18% of the underlying holdings of the fund, as well as the iShares MSCI KLD 400 Social Index Fund ETF (DSI), where NSC makes up 0.44% of the underlying holdings of the fund.

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The annualized dividend paid by Norfolk Southern Corp. is $2.36/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 02/04/2015. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for NSC, which the DividendRank report stressed as being of key importance. Indeed, studying a company's past dividend history can be of good help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue.

NSC operates in the Railroads sector, among companies like Union Pacific Corp (UNP), and Canadian National Railway Co. (CNI).