Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership Has $83.96 Million Stock Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 6.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 357,722 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 20,440 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership owned about 0.16% of Norfolk Southern worth $83,957,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 3.6% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 255,200 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $63,417,000 after purchasing an additional 8,844 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at $1,796,000. Grandview Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth $918,000. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 5,678 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,333,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clarendon Private LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at about $309,000. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 2.9 %

Shares of NSC opened at $237.24 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $245.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $248.93. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $206.71 and a twelve month high of $277.60. The stock has a market cap of $53.72 billion, a PE ratio of 20.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 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.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors 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 2.28%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 46.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NSC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $293.00 target price on the stock. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $274.84.

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.