GWN Securities Inc. Invests $269,000 in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

GWN Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 1,055 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $269,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. United Bank lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 2.4% in the third quarter. United Bank now owns 8,875 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,205,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 17.2% in the third quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 2,639 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $656,000 after acquiring an additional 388 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 4.9% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,845 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,186,000 after acquiring an additional 786 shares during the period. Coastline Trust Co purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Swiss National Bank lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.3% during the third quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 670,600 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $166,644,000 after buying an additional 1,700 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on NSC shares. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $293.00 price target for the company. Susquehanna decreased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Loop Capital lowered shares of Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $276.95.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 2,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NSC opened at $234.42 on Tuesday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $206.71 and a twelve month high of $277.60. The company’s 50 day moving average is $246.25 and its 200 day moving average is $250.40. 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 company has a market cap of $53.08 billion, a PE ratio of 20.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share 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%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 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.