Virtu Financial LLC Lowers Holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Virtu Financial LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 77.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,749 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 9,248 shares during the quarter. Virtu Financial LLC's holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $645,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in NSC. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Norfolk Southern by 3.6% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 255,200 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $63,417,000 after purchasing an additional 8,844 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at $1,796,000. Grandview Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth $918,000. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 5,678 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,333,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. Finally, Clarendon Private LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $309,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $259.86 per share, with a total value 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. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

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Norfolk Southern Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock traded down $4.80 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $230.41. The company had a trading volume of 835,254 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,210,036. The company has a 50 day moving average of $245.58 and a 200 day moving average of $249.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52-week low of $206.71 and a 52-week high of $277.60. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, equities analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Susquehanna dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Stephens lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $274.84.

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.