4,275 Shares in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Acquired by Northwest Bank & Trust Co

Northwest Bank & Trust Co bought a new position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 4,275 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,010,000. Norfolk Southern comprises approximately 0.9% of Northwest Bank & Trust Co’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Provence Wealth Management Group purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 662.5% during the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 122 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Operose Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on NSC shares. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Loop Capital lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $261.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $236.00 to $253.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $264.56.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock traded down $1.94 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $219.90. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 925,758 shares, compared to its average volume of 963,161. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $232.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $239.27. Norfolk Southern Co. has a one year low of $183.09 and a one year high of $263.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The stock has a market cap of $49.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.31.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.58 by ($0.09). Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.61% and a net margin of 11.76%. The business had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.32 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.88 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 3rd were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.46%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 86.96%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Claude Mongeau purchased 5,650 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 29th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $221.00 per share, with a total value of $1,248,650.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 20,000 shares in the company, valued at $4,420,000. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Norfolk Southern news, CMO Claude E. Elkins sold 8,329 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.43, for a total value of $1,902,593.47. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Claude Mongeau acquired 5,650 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 29th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $221.00 per share, with a total value of $1,248,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 20,000 shares in the company, valued at $4,420,000. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.