Rothschild Investment LLC Sells 171 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Rothschild Investment LLC lowered its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 1.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 10,896 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 171 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $2,557,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in NSC. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 4,452 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,045,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 521.2% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 12,101 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,840,000 after purchasing an additional 10,153 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $9,014,000. Howard Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,463 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $343,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealthspire Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 5,197 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,220,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,350 shares in the company, valued at $2,580,979.50. This trade represents a 3.50 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere purchased 607 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the acquisition, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 0.6 %

NSC opened at $247.84 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $245.46 and a 200 day moving average of $250.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12 month low of $206.71 and a 12 month high of $277.60. The company has a market cap of $56.12 billion, a PE ratio of 21.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NSC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $276.11.

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.