Dana Investment Advisors Inc. Acquires 3,315 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Dana Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 14.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 25,590 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 3,315 shares during the period. Dana Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $6,006,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $293.00 price objective for the company. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and issued a $285.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target 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. Susquehanna decreased 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, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $276.95.

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Norfolk Southern Trading Up 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE NSC traded up $5.69 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $243.89. The stock had a trading volume of 1,221,460 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,158,598. 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 1 year low of $206.71 and a 1 year high of $277.60. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $246.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $250.92. The firm has a market cap of $55.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, equities 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.21%. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.71%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 350 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $249.37 per share, with a total value of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 10,350 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,580,979.50. This represents a 3.50 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares of the company's stock, valued at $646,271.82. This represents a 32.29 % 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 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.