Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Grows Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 13.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,916,261 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 230,225 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.85% of Norfolk Southern worth $449,730,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NSC. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at $547,575,000. Boston Partners grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,020,392 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $945,385,000 after purchasing an additional 580,293 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 56.4% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 1,302,635 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $308,607,000 after buying an additional 469,558 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $105,225,000. Finally, FMR LLC grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 13.8% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,073,933 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $721,452,000 after buying an additional 371,589 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on NSC shares. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $275.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $293.00 price target for the company. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stephens boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $271.00 to $270.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $266.10.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NSC stock traded up $4.75 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $226.70. 1,798,664 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,323,228. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.82. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1-year low of $201.63 and a 1-year high of $277.60. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $231.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $245.20. The firm has a market cap of $55.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.61, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.72 by ($0.03). Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. The company had revenue of $2.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.01 billion. On average, analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.38%. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is currently 46.71%.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere purchased 607 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at $646,271.82. The trade was a 32.29 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

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.