Meeder Advisory Services Inc. Decreases Stock Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Meeder Advisory Services Inc. decreased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,831 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 66 shares during the period. Meeder Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $1,134,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC now owns 1,749 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $435,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 6,881 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,615,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC raised its stake in Norfolk Southern by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 960 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $225,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 2,507 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $588,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Leavell Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,816 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,365,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NSC has been the subject of several recent research reports. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Loop Capital cut shares of Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $272.74.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere purchased 607 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were bought at an average price of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at $646,271.82. This represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NSC opened at $238.95 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $244.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $248.79. The company has a market cap of $54.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.67, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 Co. has a twelve month low of $206.71 and a twelve month high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. As a group, analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business 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. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.71%.

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.