Lake Street Advisors Group LLC Sells 136 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Lake Street Advisors Group LLC lowered its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 6.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,129 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 136 shares during the quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $500,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 17.3% in the third quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,162 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $294,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at $376,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 8.9% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 7,108 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,766,000 after acquiring an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Associates Ltd. raised its stake in Norfolk Southern by 13.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 14,236 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,365,000 after acquiring an additional 1,724 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Norfolk Southern stock opened at $242.14 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $245.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $250.71. Norfolk Southern Co. has a fifty-two week low of $206.71 and a fifty-two week high of $277.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.90. The stock has a market cap of $54.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. On average, 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 46.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on NSC shares. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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. Barclays boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $276.11.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 350 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $249.37 per share, with a total value of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 2,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $646,271.82. This represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

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.