Oakworth Capital Inc. Has $526,000 Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Oakworth Capital Inc. grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 2,240 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $526,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Coastline Trust Co acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth about $33,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 350 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 10,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,580,979.50. This trade represents a 3.50 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $276.11.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NSC stock opened at $252.66 on Thursday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12-month low of $206.71 and a 12-month high of $277.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $247.53 and a 200-day moving average of $249.49.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

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

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.