Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Purchased by Fmr LLC

FMR LLC raised its stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 13.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,073,933 shares of the railroad operator's stock after acquiring an additional 371,589 shares during the quarter. FMR LLC owned approximately 1.36% of Norfolk Southern worth $721,452,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Atlantic Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of NSC traded up $3.81 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $222.12. The stock had a trading volume of 130,139 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,244,384. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The business's fifty day moving average is $237.20 and its 200 day moving average is $246.74. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52-week low of $201.63 and a 52-week high of $277.60. The firm has a market cap of $54.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30.

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Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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, sell-side analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on NSC shares. Citigroup lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $259.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Loop Capital cut 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 research report on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $268.79.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was bought at an average price of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at $646,271.82. This represents 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 link. 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.