Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Increases Stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 106.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 3,516 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,817 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $821,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,414,571 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $332,000,000 after purchasing an additional 40,662 shares in the last quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 23.5% in the 4th quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. now owns 219,300 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $51,470,000 after purchasing an additional 41,700 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 19,532 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,584,000 after purchasing an additional 1,015 shares in the last quarter. WMG Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. WMG Financial Advisors LLC now owns 997 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $234,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schechter Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 13.0% in the 4th quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,763 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $883,000 after purchasing an additional 434 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE NSC opened at $239.18 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12 month low of $206.71 and a 12 month high of $277.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.16 billion, a PE ratio of 20.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $246.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $250.93.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly 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 net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. Equities analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.26%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 46.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Loop Capital cut shares of Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Stephens increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird increased 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. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One investment 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $276.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the purchase, the director now owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 350 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $249.37 per share, with a total value of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 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.