Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Sold by Private Advisor Group LLC

Private Advisor Group LLC lessened its stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,702 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 390 shares during the quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $4,624,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 1.8% in the third quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,265 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $563,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 2.4% during the third quarter. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC now owns 1,749 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $435,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Archer Investment Corp grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 2.3% during the third quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 1,934 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $481,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Albert D Mason Inc. increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 6,881 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,615,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Maia Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.7% in the third quarter. Maia Wealth LLC now owns 1,044 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $264,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere purchased 607 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $249.37 per share, with a total value of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 10,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,580,979.50. This represents a 3.50 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on NSC shares. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Barclays increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target 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 given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $276.11.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NYSE:NSC opened at $247.84 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $245.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $250.71. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1-year low of $206.71 and a 1-year high of $277.60. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $56.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.44, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released 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 return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. Analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.71%.

About Norfolk Southern

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.