Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Sold by OLD Second National Bank of Aurora

OLD Second National Bank of Aurora lessened its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,679 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 244 shares during the period. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $2,761,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of NSC. Axiom Financial Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 9.2% in the first quarter. Axiom Financial Strategies LLC now owns 852 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $220,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the first quarter valued at $81,000. United Bank boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.0% in the first quarter. United Bank now owns 7,581 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,162,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.6% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 8,640 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,464,000 after purchasing an additional 377 shares during the period. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 13.3% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,946 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $555,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 1.8 %

NSC traded up $4.33 on Thursday, reaching $243.67. 154,081 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,264,862. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $253.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $230.38. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52-week low of $183.09 and a 52-week high of $263.66. The company has a market cap of $59.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.84, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The railroad operator reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.09 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 15.03% and a return on equity of 21.06%. Norfolk Southern’s revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.42 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 2nd were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 1st. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NSC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group raised shares of Norfolk Southern from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $238.00 to $302.00 in a report on Monday, March 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $252.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $250.00 to $245.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $272.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $300.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $262.33.

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.