Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Position Increased by Members Trust Co

Members Trust Co increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 64.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,575 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 1,005 shares during the period. Members Trust Co's holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $604,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,265 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $563,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC now owns 1,749 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $435,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Stratos Investment Management LLC grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Stratos Investment Management LLC now owns 1,154 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $287,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Archer Investment Corp raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.3% in the third quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 1,934 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $481,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Albert D Mason Inc. increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 6,881 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,615,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on NSC shares. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Bank of America lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $291.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Susquehanna dropped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $274.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Loop Capital cut Norfolk Southern from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $289.00 to $256.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $276.11.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 3.7 %

Shares of NYSE:NSC traded down $9.47 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $248.96. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,440,964 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,209,324. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1 year low of $206.71 and a 1 year high of $277.60. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $245.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $250.61. 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 market cap of $56.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.35.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. Research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13.02 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is currently 46.71%.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 350 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,580,979.50. This represents a 3.50 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the purchase, the director now owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 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.