Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Sold by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank lowered its holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 4.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 638,700 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 31,900 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned 0.28% of Norfolk Southern worth $149,903,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mizuho Securities USA LLC grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 18,831.2% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 3,298,000 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $819,553,000 after purchasing an additional 3,280,579 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 48.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,702,344 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $671,532,000 after acquiring an additional 881,415 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at approximately $207,830,000. Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at approximately $122,798,000. Finally, Amundi boosted its position in Norfolk Southern by 56.4% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,302,635 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $308,607,000 after purchasing an additional 469,558 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Norfolk Southern stock opened at $227.29 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock has a market cap of $51.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.66, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $246.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $250.58. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12-month low of $206.71 and a 12-month high of $277.60.

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Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is 46.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NSC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Loop Capital lowered shares of Norfolk Southern from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their target price for the company from $289.00 to $256.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $293.00 price target for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an "overweight" 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 thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $276.95.

Insider Activity at Norfolk Southern

In related 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 approximately $646,271.82. The trade was a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.

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