Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Purchased by Mediolanum International Funds Ltd

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 165.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 123,109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 76,713 shares during the quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $28,674,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its position in Norfolk Southern by 18,831.2% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 3,298,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $819,553,000 after purchasing an additional 3,280,579 shares during the period. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC raised its stake in Norfolk Southern by 25,181.8% during the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 893,459 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $222,025,000 after acquiring an additional 889,925 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its stake in Norfolk Southern by 48.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,702,344 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $671,532,000 after acquiring an additional 881,415 shares in the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at $207,830,000. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at $122,798,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $249.37 per share, with a total value of $87,279.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,580,979.50. This trade represents a 3.50 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NSC opened at $257.50 on Friday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a fifty-two week low of $206.71 and a fifty-two week high of $277.60. The business has a 50-day moving average of $249.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $248.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.65.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced 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 20.50% and a net margin of 21.63%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.10%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $274.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stephens boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $289.00 to $309.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $291.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $285.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $277.74.

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.