Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Stock Holdings Trimmed by Investors Research Corp

Investors Research Corp lowered its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 18.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 446 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 100 shares during the period. Investors Research Corp’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $105,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NSC opened at $238.76 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $246.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $250.93. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52 week low of $206.71 and a 52 week high of $277.60. The company has a market capitalization of $54.06 billion, a PE ratio of 20.65, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.90.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced 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%. Research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 46.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $249.37 per share, with a total value of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,580,979.50. The trade was a 3.50 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This represents a 32.29 % 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NSC has been the topic of a number of research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $293.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Loop Capital downgraded Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their target price for the company 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 thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $276.95.

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.