American Century Companies Inc. Sells 1,958 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

American Century Companies Inc. reduced its holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 0.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 2,939,026 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 1,958 shares during the quarter. Norfolk Southern comprises 0.4% of American Century Companies Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 1.30% of Norfolk Southern worth $689,790,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of NSC. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,330,849 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $2,318,716,000 after buying an additional 196,249 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.4% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,580,925 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,133,828,000 after acquiring an additional 62,186 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 16.9% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,020,392 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $945,385,000 after purchasing an additional 580,293 shares during the last quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 3,892,717 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $967,340,000 after acquiring an additional 103,281 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 48.4% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,702,344 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $671,532,000 after buying an additional 881,415 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company's stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

NSC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $285.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, March 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $293.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $275.63.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.7 %

Norfolk Southern stock traded up $1.65 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $235.65. 1,276,670 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,154,731. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.39, a PEG 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. 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 firm's fifty day simple moving average is $245.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $249.52.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) 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%. Analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 46.71%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 purchase, the director now owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $646,271.82. The trade was a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

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.