Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co Purchases 8,500 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 30.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 36,500 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 8,500 shares during the period. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co's holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $8,567,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in NSC. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 2.4% during the third quarter. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC now owns 1,749 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $435,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 6,881 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,615,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 960 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $225,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 2,507 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $588,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Leavell Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,816 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,365,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on NSC shares. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $260.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $259.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $293.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a 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 assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $268.68.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NSC stock traded up $0.36 on Friday, reaching $215.82. The company had a trading volume of 367,309 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,242,243. The business's 50-day moving average is $237.90 and its 200 day moving average is $246.89. Norfolk Southern Co. has a one year low of $201.63 and a one year 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 stock has a market capitalization of $53.21 billion, a PE ratio of 18.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. Equities research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.50%. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is presently 46.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere purchased 607 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was purchased 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 owns 2,487 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $646,271.82. The trade was a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, 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.