Investment House LLC Decreases Holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Investment House LLC decreased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 26,543 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 75 shares during the quarter. Investment House LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $6,230,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of NSC. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 0.0 %

NSC stock opened at $234.37 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $53.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.27, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $246.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $250.25. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52 week low of $206.71 and a 52 week high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share 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, equities research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors 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 yield of 2.30%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere purchased 607 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on NSC. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $293.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Susquehanna cut their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Stephens boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $276.95.

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.