Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Acquired by Dynasty Wealth Management LLC

Dynasty Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 29.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 6,528 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,480 shares during the period. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $1,532,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 17,973 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,218,000 after buying an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $51,118,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 25.0% during the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 14,312 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,359,000 after purchasing an additional 2,862 shares during the period. Kovack Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 35.0% in the fourth quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 1,544 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $362,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 39,460 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $9,261,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of NSC opened at $242.14 on Friday. 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 has a 50-day simple moving average of $245.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $250.71. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52 week low of $206.71 and a 52 week high of $277.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm 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 of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.23%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is currently 46.71%.

Insider Activity at Norfolk Southern

In other news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was purchased 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 ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 350 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 10,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on NSC. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Loop Capital downgraded Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $289.00 to $256.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $285.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Stephens lifted their price objective 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. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $276.11.

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.