Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Bought by Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 66,907 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $15,703,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Atlantic Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on NSC. Loop Capital downgraded Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $293.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Susquehanna dropped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $274.84.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere purchased 607 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 2,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock opened at $230.41 on Monday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $245.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $249.05. 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 firm has a market cap of $52.17 billion, a PE ratio of 19.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52 week low of $206.71 and a 52 week high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share 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 forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.