Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Stake Boosted by Ossiam

Ossiam raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 1,691.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 46,996 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 44,372 shares during the quarter. Ossiam’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $11,030,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in NSC. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 255,200 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $63,417,000 after acquiring an additional 8,844 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,694,573 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,098,472,000 after purchasing an additional 113,648 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth $1,796,000. Grandview Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at $918,000. Finally, Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC raised its position in Norfolk Southern by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 5,678 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,333,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 2.8 %

NYSE:NSC opened at $219.99 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $233.78 and its 200-day moving average is $245.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12 month low of $201.63 and a 12 month high of $277.60. The firm has a market cap of $54.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its 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 net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. Equities analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on NSC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $293.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $259.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $268.79.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $646,271.82. The trade was a 32.29 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company 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.