Sepio Capital LP Decreases Stock Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Sepio Capital LP decreased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 6.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,494 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 884 shares during the period. Sepio Capital LP’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $3,167,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $293.00 target price on the stock. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $285.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group cut their target price on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Bank of America decreased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Loop Capital cut shares of Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $272.74.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 4.5 %

Shares of NYSE:NSC opened at $210.78 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The business’s 50 day moving average is $242.94 and its 200 day moving average is $248.36. The stock has a market cap of $51.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52-week low of $206.71 and a 52-week high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.56%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.71%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was bought at an average price of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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.