Jump Financial LLC Trims Stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Jump Financial LLC cut its stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 68.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,118 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 17,850 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $1,905,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of NSC. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on NSC shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Bank of America reduced their price target on Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. 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 note on Thursday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased 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 given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $268.79.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NSC opened at $219.99 on Friday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $54.24 billion, a PE ratio of 19.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $233.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $245.74. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $201.63 and a twelve month 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, 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere purchased 607 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern 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.