Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Has $7.57 Million Stock Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC lessened its holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 32,256 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,123 shares during the quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $7,570,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 66,907 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $15,703,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth approximately $547,575,000. NEOS Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 28.7% during the 4th quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 11,137 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,614,000 after acquiring an additional 2,484 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 22.8% in the 4th quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 17,250 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,049,000 after acquiring an additional 3,198 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Moment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at $361,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere purchased 607 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE NSC opened at $230.41 on Friday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1 year low of $206.71 and a 1 year high of $277.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The firm has a market cap 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. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $245.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $249.08.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.34%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NSC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America decreased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Stephens lifted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Loop Capital downgraded shares of Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.