Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Sold by US Bancorp DE

US Bancorp DE lowered its holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 197,633 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 2,162 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE owned approximately 0.09% of Norfolk Southern worth $46,384,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Coastline Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 350 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly 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 purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $285.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Loop Capital downgraded Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $289.00 to $256.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $276.11.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NSC opened at $245.96 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $246.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $250.85. The firm has a market cap of $55.69 billion, a PE ratio of 21.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12-month low of $206.71 and a 12-month 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.

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

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a 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%.

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.