Oak Thistle LLC Increases Stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Oak Thistle LLC increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 260.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,079 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 5,115 shares during the quarter. Oak Thistle LLC's holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $1,661,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of NSC. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,499 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $586,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. Accurate Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $357,000. Mayfair Advisory Group LLC raised its position in Norfolk Southern by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Mayfair Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,001 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,174,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 960 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Grandview Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $918,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 350 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 10,350 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,580,979.50. The trade was a 3.50 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.5 %

NSC stock traded up $1.31 on Wednesday, hitting $240.55. 940,807 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 951,387. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $252.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $246.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.73. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12-month low of $206.71 and a 12-month high of $277.60. The stock has a market cap of $54.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.34.

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

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio is currently 50.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NSC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Susquehanna decreased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $274.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $241.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $275.68.

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.