Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Grows Holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 3.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,414,571 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 40,662 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $332,000,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 3.6% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 255,200 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $63,417,000 after purchasing an additional 8,844 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 533,459 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $132,565,000 after purchasing an additional 3,621 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,796,000. Grandview Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth approximately $918,000. Finally, Garner Asset Management Corp increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 3.2% in the third quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp now owns 3,168 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $787,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.1 %

NSC stock opened at $238.79 on Thursday. 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 firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $246.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $250.84. The stock has a market cap of $54.07 billion, a PE ratio of 20.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. Norfolk Southern Co. has a fifty-two week low of $206.71 and a fifty-two week high of $277.60.

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, beating 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, 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 dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.71%.

Insider Activity at Norfolk Southern

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Loop Capital lowered 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $276.11.

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.