Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS Sells 37,887 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS lowered its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 11.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 282,753 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 37,887 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS owned about 0.12% of Norfolk Southern worth $66,362,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of NSC. United Bank increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 2.4% during the third quarter. United Bank now owns 8,875 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $2,205,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares during the period. Aviance Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at approximately $240,000. OneAscent Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at $237,000. BIP Wealth LLC lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 74.5% in the third quarter. BIP Wealth LLC now owns 2,342 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $582,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 26.2% during the third quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,096 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $769,000 after buying an additional 642 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 1.9 %

NYSE NSC traded up $4.36 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $236.11. 1,294,868 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,162,136. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $206.71 and a twelve month high of $277.60. The business's 50-day moving average is $246.01 and its 200-day moving average is $249.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.90.

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Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. 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 currently 46.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Loop Capital downgraded shares of Norfolk Southern from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $289.00 to $256.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $285.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price 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 research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $276.63.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Norfolk Southern Company 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.