UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Increases Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 22.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 17,250 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,198 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $4,049,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in NSC. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Atlantic Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on NSC. Loop Capital cut shares of Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the company 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 research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $274.84.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 2.0 %

NSC stock opened at $230.41 on Friday. 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 twelve month low of $206.71 and a twelve month high of $277.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $245.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $249.14.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share 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%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.34%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.71%.

Insider Activity at Norfolk Southern

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was acquired at an average cost 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Norfolk Southern 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.