Financial Counselors Inc. Has $1.91 Million Stock Holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Financial Counselors Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,131 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 106 shares during the period. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $1,908,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. United Bank increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 2.4% in the third quarter. United Bank now owns 8,875 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,205,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth $557,000. FMR LLC grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 48.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,702,344 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $671,532,000 after acquiring an additional 881,415 shares during the last quarter. Avestar Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at approximately $248,000. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 40.9% in the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 5,059 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,257,000 after acquiring an additional 1,469 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $293.00 price objective on the stock. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $285.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Susquehanna dropped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $274.84.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere purchased 607 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 2,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $646,271.82. The trade was a 32.29 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE NSC opened at $235.51 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $245.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $249.32. The company has a market cap of $53.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52 week low of $206.71 and a 52 week 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.29%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.71%.

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.