Baxter Bros Inc. Sells 1,514 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Baxter Bros Inc. decreased its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 6.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 20,769 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,514 shares during the period. Baxter Bros Inc.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $4,874,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. United Bank boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. United Bank now owns 8,875 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,205,000 after buying an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 5.6% in the third quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 33,359 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $8,290,000 after buying an additional 1,783 shares during the period. Meridian Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $440,000. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,718 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,166,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,985 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $493,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NSC stock opened at $236.11 on Tuesday. 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 company has a market cap of $53.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.42, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $246.01 and its 200 day moving average is $249.63. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1-year low of $206.71 and a 1-year high of $277.60.

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

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.29%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere purchased 607 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction dated 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 acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $646,271.82. The trade was a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NSC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Stephens raised their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Loop Capital cut Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. One equities 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $276.63.

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.