Oxford Asset Management LLP Buys 1,777 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Oxford Asset Management LLP raised its stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 175.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,792 shares of the railroad operator's stock after acquiring an additional 1,777 shares during the period. Oxford Asset Management LLP's holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $655,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of NSC. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the third quarter worth $30,000. Wealthquest Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the third quarter worth $216,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.2% in the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 14,265 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $3,545,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 10.7% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,226 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $2,790,000 after buying an additional 1,089 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 23.2% during the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 56,256 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $13,980,000 after buying an additional 10,593 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NSC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Loop Capital cut Norfolk Southern from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $250.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $293.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $271.00 to $270.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $266.10.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NSC traded up $1.62 on Tuesday, hitting $223.35. 1,053,040 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,252,142. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $229.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $244.73. The firm has a market cap of $55.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a one year low of $201.63 and a one year high of $277.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.72 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.01 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.49 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.42%. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was acquired at an average price 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 of the company's stock, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Norfolk Southern

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.