Fidelis Capital Partners LLC Boosts Stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Fidelis Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 19.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,686 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 434 shares during the quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $672,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of NSC. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at approximately $203,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 31.9% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,945 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $732,000 after buying an additional 713 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 3,600 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $925,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Janney Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Janney Capital Management LLC now owns 1,294 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $322,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 123.5% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 44,628 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $11,469,000 after acquiring an additional 24,662 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NSC opened at $244.90 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. Norfolk Southern Co. has a fifty-two week low of $206.71 and a fifty-two week high of $277.60. The company has a market cap of $55.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.19, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $246.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $250.94.

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

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NSC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Stephens increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $276.11.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 10,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,580,979.50. This represents 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.

About Norfolk Southern

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.