Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC Purchases 1,527 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 13.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,502 shares of the railroad operator's stock after acquiring an additional 1,527 shares during the quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC's holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $2,934,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Norfolk Southern by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 255,200 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $63,417,000 after acquiring an additional 8,844 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Norfolk Southern by 20.5% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 14,428 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $3,556,000 after acquiring an additional 2,453 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its position in Norfolk Southern by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 533,459 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $132,565,000 after acquiring an additional 3,621 shares during the period. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC boosted its position in Norfolk Southern by 25,181.8% during the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 893,459 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $222,025,000 after acquiring an additional 889,925 shares during the period. Finally, Caprock Group LLC acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $1,796,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were bought at an average price of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 2,487 shares of the company's stock, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 cost of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 10,350 shares in the company, valued at $2,580,979.50. This represents a 3.50 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NSC has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $274.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Loop Capital lowered Norfolk Southern from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $289.00 to $256.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $276.11.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NYSE NSC traded down $1.32 during trading on Friday, hitting $255.90. The company's stock had a trading volume of 908,786 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,177,383. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $245.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $250.38. The firm has a market cap of $57.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.35. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52 week low of $206.71 and a 52 week high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio is currently 46.71%.

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.