Oak Thistle LLC Boosts Stock Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Oak Thistle LLC lifted its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 260.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,079 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 5,115 shares during the period. Oak Thistle LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $1,661,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mizuho Securities USA LLC grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 18,831.2% in the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 3,298,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $819,553,000 after purchasing an additional 3,280,579 shares during the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 25,181.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 893,459 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $222,025,000 after purchasing an additional 889,925 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 48.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,702,344 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $671,532,000 after buying an additional 881,415 shares during the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at about $207,830,000. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter worth about $122,798,000. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NSC opened at $238.80 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $252.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $246.23. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1 year low of $206.71 and a 1 year high of $277.60. The stock has a market cap of $54.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.65.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.11 by $0.14. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 19.85% and a return on equity of 20.25%. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.65 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st were given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 1st. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.70%.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired 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 directly owns 10,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,580,979.50. This trade represents a 3.50 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on NSC shares. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $283.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Benchmark lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $275.68.

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.