Sepio Capital LP Lowers Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Sepio Capital LP trimmed its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 6.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,494 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 884 shares during the period. Sepio Capital LP’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $3,167,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. United Bank boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 2.4% during the third quarter. United Bank now owns 8,875 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,205,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 69.3% in the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 9,843 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,446,000 after purchasing an additional 4,030 shares in the last quarter. Weiss Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,147,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 27.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 23,062 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $5,731,000 after buying an additional 5,032 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 2,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 4.5 %

Shares of NSC stock opened at $210.78 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $51.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.23, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average price of $242.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $248.36. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1 year low of $206.71 and a 1 year high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its 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 analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $1.35 dividend. 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 2.56%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is presently 46.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NSC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Stephens increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Loop Capital cut shares of 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 note on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. One equities research 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $272.74.

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.