Callan Family Office LLC Takes Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Callan Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 13,171 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $3,091,000.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock traded up $5.69 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $243.89. 1,221,460 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,158,598. The company has a market cap of $55.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $246.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $250.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.90. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52 week low of $206.71 and a 52 week high of $277.60.

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Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.21%. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere purchased 607 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 350 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,580,979.50. The trade was a 3.50 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on NSC. Stephens raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Loop Capital cut shares of Norfolk Southern from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $289.00 to $256.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Susquehanna reduced their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $276.95.

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.