Insider Buying: Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Director Acquires $157,735.02 in Stock

Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the purchase, the director now owns 2,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $646,271.82. The trade was a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NSC stock opened at $252.66 on Thursday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a fifty-two week low of $206.71 and a fifty-two week high of $277.60. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $247.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $249.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The firm has a market cap of $57.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.86, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.35.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is presently 46.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $276.11.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NSC. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 162.2% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 4,505 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,057,000 after acquiring an additional 2,787 shares in the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 15.9% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,966 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $926,000 after purchasing an additional 545 shares during the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 7,606 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,785,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 974,264 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $228,660,000 after buying an additional 10,448 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norfolk Southern Company 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.