Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Sold by Capital Group Private Client Services Inc.

Capital Group Private Client Services Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 30,537 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,050 shares during the quarter. Capital Group Private Client Services Inc.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $7,167,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 16.9% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 304 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Albert D Mason Inc. lifted 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 acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 960 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 2,507 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $588,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Leavell Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,816 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,365,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was bought 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 directly owns 2,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $646,271.82. The trade was 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 the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 2.8 %

NSC opened at $219.99 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $233.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $245.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.82. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12 month low of $201.63 and a 12 month high of $277.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. On average, research 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.45%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NSC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Stephens upped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $293.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Loop Capital downgraded Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $268.79.

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.