Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Acquired by Ossiam

Ossiam boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 1,691.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 46,996 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 44,372 shares during the quarter. Ossiam's holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $11,030,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 122.0% during the fourth quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 12,854 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $3,017,000 after buying an additional 7,063 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,916,261 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $449,730,000 after purchasing an additional 230,225 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 217,830 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $51,125,000 after purchasing an additional 13,347 shares in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 5,468 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,283,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Frederick Financial Consultants LLC purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth approximately $242,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company's stock.

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 shares were bought at an average cost of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 2.5 %

NYSE NSC traded up $5.45 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $227.40. 923,195 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,259,574. 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 $56.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.67, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a 50 day moving average of $231.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $245.20. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52-week low of $201.63 and a 52-week high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.72 by ($0.03). Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. The firm had revenue of $2.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd will be paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.37%. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is currently 46.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on NSC shares. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $275.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $269.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $260.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $271.00 to $270.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $266.10.

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.