Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Sold by Davis R M Inc.

Davis R M Inc. lowered its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,677 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 158 shares during the period. Davis R M Inc.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $2,036,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on NSC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Loop Capital downgraded Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Stephens increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $276.95.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the acquisition, the director now 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 SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $249.37 per share, with a total value of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 10,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,580,979.50. The trade was a 3.50 % 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 Stock Performance

NYSE NSC opened at $233.35 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $246.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $250.88. The company has a market capitalization of $52.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.19, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1-year low of $206.71 and a 1-year high of $277.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. Sell-side analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.71%.

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.