OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A Sells 294 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A trimmed its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 21,086 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 294 shares during the quarter. Norfolk Southern accounts for approximately 1.7% of OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $4,949,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of NSC. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Atlantic Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on NSC shares. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Loop Capital cut shares of Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the company from $289.00 to $256.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Stephens boosted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $276.95.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.1 %

Norfolk Southern stock opened at $234.71 on Thursday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12 month low of $206.71 and a 12 month 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. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $246.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $250.14. The company has a market capitalization of $53.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35.

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

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 46.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was 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. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Norfolk Southern Company 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.