Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC Sells 2,501 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC trimmed its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 125,933 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 2,501 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC owned about 0.06% of Norfolk Southern worth $29,556,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth $25,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Coastline Trust Co acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth $32,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere purchased 607 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly 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 purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 350 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $249.37 per share, with a total value of $87,279.50. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 10,350 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,580,979.50. The trade was a 3.50 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NSC stock traded down $9.47 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $248.96. 2,440,864 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,209,166. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $206.71 and a twelve month high of $277.60. The company has a market capitalization of $56.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.35. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $245.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $250.62. 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 released 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 return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio is 46.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on NSC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $274.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Susquehanna lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $276.11.

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.