DRW Securities LLC Trims Stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

DRW Securities LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 54.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,112 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 1,324 shares during the period. DRW Securities LLC's holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $261,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at about $547,575,000. Boston Partners lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 16.9% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,020,392 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $945,385,000 after purchasing an additional 580,293 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 56.4% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,302,635 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $308,607,000 after acquiring an additional 469,558 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth about $105,225,000. Finally, FMR LLC raised its position in Norfolk Southern by 13.8% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,073,933 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $721,452,000 after acquiring an additional 371,589 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NSC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and set a $285.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Stephens raised their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $293.00 target price for the company. Finally, Loop Capital cut Norfolk Southern from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price target 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 given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $268.79.

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Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NSC traded down $1.24 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $216.48. 260,740 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,243,805. The company's 50 day moving average price is $235.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $246.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.37 billion, a PE ratio of 18.73, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52 week low of $201.63 and a 52 week 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.

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

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is 46.71%.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere purchased 607 shares of the company's 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Norfolk Southern Company 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.