Nicolet Bankshares Inc. Has $1.59 Million Stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Nicolet Bankshares Inc. grew its stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 21.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,783 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 1,186 shares during the quarter. Nicolet Bankshares Inc.'s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $1,592,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of NSC. Heritage Trust Co acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $1,125,000. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 99,405 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $23,330,000 after acquiring an additional 620 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 17.3% during the fourth quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,587 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $372,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the period. Colonial Trust Advisors raised its stake in Norfolk Southern by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Advisors now owns 10,939 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $2,567,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Scotia Capital Inc. boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. now owns 18,471 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $4,336,000 after purchasing an additional 426 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 3.1 %

Norfolk Southern stock traded up $6.54 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $220.57. 731,718 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,247,619. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.12, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12 month low of $201.63 and a 12 month high of $277.60. 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's fifty day simple moving average is $235.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $246.13.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share 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%. Analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.45%. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio is currently 46.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $247.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Stephens raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, March 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $293.00 price target for the company. Finally, Loop Capital lowered Norfolk Southern from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $268.79.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere purchased 607 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was 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 owns 2,487 shares of the company's stock, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.