Huntington National Bank Has $5.47 Million Stock Holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Huntington National Bank trimmed its stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 23,300 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 1,320 shares during the quarter. Huntington National Bank's holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $5,469,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on NSC. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $293.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $285.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $272.74.

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Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NSC traded up $4.58 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $212.63. The company had a trading volume of 348,519 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,227,529. The company has a market capitalization of $52.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. The company's 50-day moving average is $241.91 and its 200-day moving average is $248.04. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $201.63 and a twelve month high of $277.60. 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 (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.54%. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is 46.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were acquired 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 directly owns 2,487 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 the SEC website. Company 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.