Gulf International Bank UK Ltd Lowers Stock Holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd cut its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,021 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 183 shares during the quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $3,994,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Norfolk Southern by 17.3% during the third quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,162 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $294,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth $376,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 8.9% in the third quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 7,108 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,766,000 after acquiring an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Associates Ltd. grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 13.8% during the third quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 14,236 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,365,000 after acquiring an additional 1,724 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays raised their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $276.11.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Norfolk Southern stock opened at $242.14 on Friday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52 week low of $206.71 and a 52 week high of $277.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock has a market cap of $54.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $245.83 and a 200-day moving average of $250.71.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, beating 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, analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.