Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Acquired by Czech National Bank

Czech National Bank raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 6.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 49,054 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,996 shares during the period. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $11,513,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of NSC. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Coastline Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NSC opened at $237.48 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $53.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.30, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a 50-day moving average of $253.07 and a 200-day moving average of $246.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.73. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1-year low of $206.71 and a 1-year high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.11 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.08 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.25% and a net margin of 19.85%. Norfolk Southern’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.65 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 10,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,580,979.50. This represents a 3.50 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on NSC. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Loop Capital upped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Barclays raised their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $241.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $275.68.

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.