Townsquare Capital LLC Acquires 1,216 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Townsquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 24.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,275 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 1,216 shares during the quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC's holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $1,473,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Atlantic Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 2.8 %

NYSE:NSC traded up $5.96 on Friday, hitting $219.99. 1,362,718 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,253,317. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $233.78 and a 200-day moving average price of $245.73. The company has a market cap of $54.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52 week low of $201.63 and a 52 week high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. As a group, analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company 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 2.45%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio is currently 46.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NSC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $285.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. UBS Group reduced their target price on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $284.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Loop Capital cut shares of Norfolk Southern from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $289.00 to $256.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $268.79.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following 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 accessible through this hyperlink. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.