Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Stake Reduced by Vaughan David Investments LLC IL

Vaughan David Investments LLC IL cut its holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 15,179 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 419 shares during the quarter. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $3,563,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NSC. Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its position in Norfolk Southern by 18,831.2% in the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 3,298,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $819,553,000 after acquiring an additional 3,280,579 shares in the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 25,181.8% during the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 893,459 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $222,025,000 after buying an additional 889,925 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 48.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,702,344 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $671,532,000 after buying an additional 881,415 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth about $207,830,000. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth about $122,798,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 1.6 %

NSC opened at $243.75 on Tuesday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1-year low of $206.71 and a 1-year high of $277.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. The business has a 50 day moving average of $245.47 and a 200-day moving average of $250.79.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.22%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 46.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on NSC. Susquehanna dropped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Loop Capital downgraded Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $289.00 to $256.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Barclays boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $276.11.

Insider Activity at Norfolk Southern

In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 10,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,580,979.50. The trade was a 3.50 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were bought at an average price of $259.86 per share, with a total value 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 approximately $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 corporate 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.