Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) is Taylor Financial Group Inc.’s 2nd Largest Position

Taylor Financial Group Inc. trimmed its stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 0.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 84,013 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 51 shares during the quarter. Norfolk Southern accounts for 13.7% of Taylor Financial Group Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Taylor Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $19,718,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of NSC. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NSC opened at $234.42 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.28, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. Norfolk Southern Co. has a fifty-two week low of $206.71 and a fifty-two week high of $277.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.90. The company has a fifty day moving average of $246.25 and a 200 day moving average of $250.40.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its earnings results 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 return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 46.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at $646,271.82. The trade was a 32.29 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NSC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada lifted 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. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Loop Capital cut shares of Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $289.00 to $256.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $293.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern currently has a consensus 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.