Mutual of America Capital Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 27,107 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 741 shares during the quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $6,362,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Coastline Trust Co purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on NSC. Susquehanna cut their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $276.11.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Norfolk Southern stock opened at $244.90 on Tuesday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12-month low of $206.71 and a 12-month high of $277.60. 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 has a market capitalization of $55.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $246.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $250.94.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. On average, research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.71%.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were bought at an average price of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 350 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $249.37 per share, with a total value of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 10,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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.

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.