Global Retirement Partners LLC Sells 230 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Global Retirement Partners LLC decreased its holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 11.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,717 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 230 shares during the quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $403,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of NSC. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE NSC opened at $247.84 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $245.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $250.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12-month low of $206.71 and a 12-month high of $277.60. The company has a market cap of $56.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NSC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price 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. Citigroup lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their target price on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $276.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 350 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,580,979.50. This represents a 3.50 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at $646,271.82. This represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.