National Pension Service Buys 72,198 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

National Pension Service boosted its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 16.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 520,820 shares of the railroad operator's stock after acquiring an additional 72,198 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned 0.23% of Norfolk Southern worth $129,424,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 1.8% during 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. Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. now owns 1,516 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $325,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Blue Chip Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Chip Partners LLC now owns 7,716 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,656,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC raised its stake in Norfolk Southern by 12.4% in the second quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 381 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 4.2% in the third quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,043 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $256,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In other news, CEO Alan H. Shaw sold 51,325 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.98, for a total value of $13,138,173.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 35,045 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,970,819.10. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Norfolk Southern news, CEO Alan H. Shaw sold 51,325 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.98, for a total transaction of $13,138,173.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 35,045 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,970,819.10. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $255.00 per share, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $2,550,000. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NSC traded up $4.58 on Tuesday, reaching $252.17. The company had a trading volume of 849,562 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,250,547. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.05 billion, a PE ratio of 23.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1 year low of $192.53 and a 1 year high of $263.66. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $250.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $237.17.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.11 by $0.14. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 19.85% and a return on equity of 20.25%. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.65 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 1st. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $272.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Loop Capital increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $274.16.

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.