Whittier Trust Co. Has $41.52 Million Holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Whittier Trust Co. raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 176,892 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 944 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $41,516,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1,248.9% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 37,096 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $8,706,000 after buying an additional 34,346 shares during the period. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 92,824 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $21,786,000 after purchasing an additional 2,967 shares during the period. Stokes Family Office LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $249,000. Finally, Xponance Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 31,408 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $7,371,000 after purchasing an additional 371 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on NSC shares. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $293.00 price objective for the company. Loop Capital cut Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $276.95.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock opened at $234.71 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $53.15 billion, a PE ratio of 20.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. 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 52 week low of $206.71 and a 52 week high of $277.60. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $246.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $250.14.

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

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 46.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

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.