Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC Has $4.47 Million Stock Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 1.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 19,028 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $4,466,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 2.4% during the third quarter. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC now owns 1,749 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $435,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 6,881 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,615,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 960 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $225,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 2,507 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $588,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, CKW Financial Group raised its position in Norfolk Southern by 7.7% in the third quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 700 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $174,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of NSC opened at $233.45 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $246.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $250.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.86 billion, a PE ratio of 20.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12-month low of $206.71 and a 12-month high of $277.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, research analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Susquehanna lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $293.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $276.95.

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.