Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Position Increased by Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc.

Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 74,333 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 1,678 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc.'s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $17,446,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. United Bank lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. United Bank now owns 8,875 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $2,205,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,536,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter worth $78,000. Jennison Associates LLC increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 6,086 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,512,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 43.4% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 20,124 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $5,001,000 after acquiring an additional 6,086 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on NSC shares. Stephens raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and issued a $285.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Loop Capital cut shares of Norfolk Southern from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research 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, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $275.63.

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Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NYSE:NSC traded down $1.70 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $233.85. 939,859 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,161,692. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $246.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $249.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52 week low of $206.71 and a 52 week high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is currently 46.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly 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 purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.