EntryPoint Capital LLC Purchases New Shares in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,309 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $542,000.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stephens raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price 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. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $276.63.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NSC stock opened at $236.11 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $246.01 and a 200-day moving average of $249.63. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $53.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12 month low of $206.71 and a 12 month high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 EPS 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.29%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is currently 46.71%.

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.