Stokes Family Office LLC Buys New Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Stokes Family Office LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 1,059 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $249,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NSC opened at $234.71 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $246.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $250.14. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52-week low of $206.71 and a 52-week high of $277.60. The firm has a market cap of $53.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.30, a PEG 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 announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders 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 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 46.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on NSC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Stephens boosted 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. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Loop Capital cut Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $289.00 to $256.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $276.95.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In other 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 acquired at an average cost of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $646,271.82. The trade was a 32.29 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.