Calamos Advisors LLC Purchases 65,487 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Calamos Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 166.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 104,818 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 65,487 shares during the quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $24,601,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Coastline Trust Co purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NSC opened at $250.13 on Tuesday. 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’s 50 day simple moving average is $248.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $249.15. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1 year low of $206.71 and a 1 year high of $277.60. The stock has a market cap of $56.59 billion, a PE ratio of 21.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.35.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued 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 net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13.07 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

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 paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.16%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In other news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the transaction, 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 acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $249.37 per share, with a total value of $87,279.50. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 10,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,580,979.50. This trade represents a 3.50 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on NSC. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $274.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $289.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective 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. Barclays raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $276.11.

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.