Inkwell Capital LLC Takes $2.85 Million Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Inkwell Capital LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 12,147 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $2,851,000. Norfolk Southern accounts for 3.0% of Inkwell Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Atlantic Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NYSE NSC opened at $230.41 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.90. The business’s fifty day moving average is $245.28 and its 200 day moving average is $249.08. The company has a market capitalization 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 fifty-two week low of $206.71 and a fifty-two week high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. Sell-side analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors 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 dividend yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction 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 approximately $646,271.82. The trade was a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on NSC. Robert W. Baird upped 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. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Loop Capital downgraded Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $289.00 to $256.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $293.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $274.84.

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.