12,115 Shares in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Purchased by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 12,115 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $2,843,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 101.2% in the 4th quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 97,919 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $22,982,000 after purchasing an additional 49,249 shares during the last quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC now owns 3,491 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $819,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Gen Wealth Partners Inc grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 19.4% in the 4th quarter. Gen Wealth Partners Inc now owns 777 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $182,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 77.8% in the fourth quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 5,356 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,257,000 after acquiring an additional 2,343 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greenline Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.4%

Norfolk Southern stock opened at $240.09 on Wednesday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $201.63 and a twelve month high of $277.60. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $225.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $242.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.77, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.72 by ($0.03). Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. The company had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.49 earnings per share. Norfolk Southern’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd will be given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.25%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is currently 36.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on NSC shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $293.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $269.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $275.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $266.10.

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.