Farringdon Capital Ltd. Takes $335,000 Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Farringdon Capital Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,427 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $335,000.

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

Insider Activity

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,487 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on NSC. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $284.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stephens lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $247.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $267.35.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 2.3 %

Norfolk Southern stock traded up $5.10 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $227.05. 677,803 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,309,418. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $231.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $245.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The company has a market cap of $55.98 billion, a PE ratio of 19.64, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a one year low of $201.63 and a one year high of $277.60.

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

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.38%. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is 46.71%.

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.