Good Life Advisors LLC Sells 583 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Good Life Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 23.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,951 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 583 shares during the quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $458,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 18,831.2% in the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 3,298,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $819,553,000 after purchasing an additional 3,280,579 shares in the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 25,181.8% during the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 893,459 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $222,025,000 after purchasing an additional 889,925 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 48.4% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,702,344 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $671,532,000 after buying an additional 881,415 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $207,830,000. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $122,798,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was bought at an average price 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 in the company, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 acquisition, 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 position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NSC opened at $249.40 on Friday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $206.71 and a twelve month high of $277.60. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $245.43 and its 200-day moving average is $250.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.57, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.35.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13.02 EPS for the current fiscal 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 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 yield of 2.17%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on NSC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $285.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Loop Capital lowered Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, 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. 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $276.11.

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.