Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Bought by Tower Research Capital LLC TRC

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 18.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 11,316 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,761 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $2,656,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in NSC. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NSC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Stephens raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Loop Capital lowered shares of 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 research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $247.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $268.79.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NYSE:NSC opened at $218.78 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $201.63 and a twelve month high of $277.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.93, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $233.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $245.54.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.47%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In related 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 purchased at an average cost of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $646,271.82. The trade was a 32.29 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.