Boston Partners Has $945.39 Million Stock Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Boston Partners raised its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 16.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,020,392 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 580,293 shares during the period. Norfolk Southern accounts for 1.2% of Boston Partners' investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Boston Partners owned approximately 1.78% of Norfolk Southern worth $945,385,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth about $30,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was bought at an average price of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction 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 position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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Norfolk Southern Stock Down 0.7 %

NYSE NSC traded down $1.70 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $231.84. 1,248,284 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,160,599. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.50 billion, a PE ratio of 20.06, 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 50 day moving average of $246.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $249.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last issued its 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.33%. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. 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 report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective 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. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Susquehanna dropped their price target on shares of 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, Loop Capital lowered shares of Norfolk Southern from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $276.63.

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.