Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Acquires 1,000 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 2.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 39,460 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $9,261,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Coastline Trust Co acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth $32,000. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NSC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, January 30th. 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 report on Thursday, January 30th. Stephens boosted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $276.11.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 1.6 %

NYSE:NSC opened at $245.96 on Friday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $206.71 and a twelve month high of $277.60. The company has a market cap of $55.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $246.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $250.77.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors 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 2.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.71%.

Insider Activity at Norfolk Southern

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 350 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 10,350 shares in the company, valued at $2,580,979.50. This represents a 3.50 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Norfolk Southern Company 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.