Strategic Financial Concepts LLC Takes Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 35,205 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $8,263,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 12.3% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 3,215 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $755,000 after purchasing an additional 351 shares during the last quarter. bLong Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $235,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 19.7% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 2,635 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $618,000 after buying an additional 434 shares during the last quarter. Members Trust Co increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 64.0% in the fourth quarter. Members Trust Co now owns 2,575 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $604,000 after buying an additional 1,005 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Spinnaker Trust acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at $408,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NSC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Stephens boosted 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. Bank of America upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $291.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $274.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $289.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average 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 Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was acquired at an average cost 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 in the company, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the transaction, the director now 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NSC opened at $255.90 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.89 billion, a PE ratio of 22.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $245.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $250.44. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52-week low of $206.71 and a 52-week high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is currently 46.71%.

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.