Townsquare Capital LLC Grows Stock Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Townsquare Capital LLC boosted its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 24.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,275 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 1,216 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $1,473,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of NSC. Albert D Mason Inc. increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 6,881 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,615,000 after buying 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 valued at $225,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 2,507 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $588,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Norfolk Southern by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,816 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,365,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Shayne & Jacobs LLC lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Shayne & Jacobs LLC now owns 3,327 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $781,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NSC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $285.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $259.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $260.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $268.79.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NSC stock opened at $213.91 on Thursday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1 year low of $201.63 and a 1 year high of $277.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.74 billion, a PE ratio of 18.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. The company’s 50-day moving average is $235.19 and its 200-day moving average is $246.13. 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 (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. Equities research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.52%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.71%.

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.