Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Buys 1,761 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 18.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,316 shares of the railroad operator's stock after acquiring an additional 1,761 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $2,656,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Trajan Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Trajan Wealth LLC now owns 33,853 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $7,945,000 after buying an additional 2,344 shares in the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 87.0% in the 4th quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 33,472 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $7,856,000 after acquiring an additional 15,569 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 59,876 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $14,053,000 after acquiring an additional 1,086 shares in the last quarter. Norinchukin Bank The lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Norinchukin Bank The now owns 8,636 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $2,027,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ossiam lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1,691.0% during the fourth quarter. Ossiam now owns 46,996 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $11,030,000 after purchasing an additional 44,372 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 2.1 %

NYSE NSC traded up $4.75 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $226.70. 1,798,664 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,257,669. 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 Co. has a one year low of $201.63 and a one year high of $277.60. The company's 50-day moving average is $231.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $245.08. The company has a market capitalization of $55.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.72 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. On average, analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.38%. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio is currently 46.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 acquisition, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.06% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NSC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $271.00 to $270.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Citigroup dropped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $259.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $250.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $269.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $266.10.

Norfolk Southern Company 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.