Amundi Purchases 469,558 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Amundi raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 56.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,302,635 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 469,558 shares during the quarter. Amundi owned 0.58% of Norfolk Southern worth $308,607,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in NSC. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 5,678 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,333,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Camden National Bank lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 18.4% in the fourth quarter. Camden National Bank now owns 1,338 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $314,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the period. Oak Hill Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 220.1% during the fourth quarter. Oak Hill Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,761 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,117,000 after buying an additional 8,725 shares in the last quarter. EFG Asset Management Americas Corp. boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. EFG Asset Management Americas Corp. now owns 7,798 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,830,000 after buying an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 34.4% in the 4th quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,285 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,006,000 after buying an additional 1,097 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on NSC shares. 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 objective for the company. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and set a $285.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $276.95.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 350 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $249.37 per share, with a total value of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 10,350 shares in the company, valued at $2,580,979.50. This represents a 3.50 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock traded down $2.07 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $230.91. 1,893,247 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,164,938. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $206.71 and a twelve month high of $277.60. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $246.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $250.88. 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 has a market capitalization of $52.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is presently 46.71%.

Norfolk Southern 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.