Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Acquired by Sanctuary Advisors LLC

Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 47,712 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 1,465 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC's holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $12,272,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,265 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $563,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.4% during the third quarter. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC now owns 1,749 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $435,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Archer Investment Corp increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.3% during the third quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 1,934 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $481,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Albert D Mason Inc. lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 6,881 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,615,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Finally, Maia Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Maia Wealth LLC now owns 1,044 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $264,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NSC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Loop Capital downgraded Norfolk Southern from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on 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 reduced their target price on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $276.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In other news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,487 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 350 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $249.37 per share, with a total value 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NSC stock traded down $1.57 during trading on Friday, hitting $247.84. The stock had a trading volume of 1,493,699 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,217,662. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1-year low of $206.71 and a 1-year high of $277.60. The stock has a market cap of $56.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.35. The company's 50 day moving average price is $245.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $250.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.90.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is 46.71%.

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.