Horan Securities Inc. Grows Stock Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Horan Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 7.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,725 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 121 shares during the period. Horan Securities Inc.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $405,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NSC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. 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. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Loop Capital cut shares of Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $276.95.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NSC opened at $243.89 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $246.51 and its 200 day moving average is $250.85. The stock has a market cap of $55.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1-year low of $206.71 and a 1-year high of $277.60. 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 (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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.71%.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other news, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,580,979.50. The trade was 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 the SEC website. Also, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

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.