Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Director Gilbert H. Lamphere Purchases 607 Shares of Stock

Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $646,271.82. This represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 2.0 %

NSC stock traded down $5.17 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $250.13. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,338,603 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,297,867. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $206.71 and a twelve month high of $277.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.64, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $248.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $249.15.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 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 research analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13.07 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.71%.

Institutional Trading of Norfolk Southern

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,330,849 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,318,716,000 after buying an additional 196,249 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 1.4% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,580,925 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,133,828,000 after acquiring an additional 62,186 shares during the last quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.7% during the third quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 3,892,717 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $967,340,000 after buying an additional 103,281 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $819,553,000 after acquiring an additional 3,280,579 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 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 purchasing an additional 881,415 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on NSC. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Susquehanna lowered their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price 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. Finally, Loop Capital lowered Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $276.11.

About Norfolk Southern

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.