Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Sold by Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc.

Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. decreased its holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 59,010 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,467 shares during the quarter. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $13,850,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 74,333 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $17,446,000 after acquiring an additional 1,678 shares in the last quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 19,028 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,466,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Holderness Investments Co. boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 11.5% in the 4th quarter. Holderness Investments Co. now owns 1,299 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $305,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $249,000. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 176,892 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $41,516,000 after purchasing an additional 944 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NSC opened at $233.45 on Friday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1 year low of $206.71 and a 1 year high of $277.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.90. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $246.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $250.02. The company has a market capitalization of $52.86 billion, a PE ratio of 20.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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, research analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective 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. Loop Capital cut Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Stephens lifted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and thirteen have given 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 $276.95.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere purchased 607 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the purchase, the director now owns 2,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $646,271.82. The trade was a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Company 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.