E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB Sells 172 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB cut its stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 5,111 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 172 shares during the period. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $1,200,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of NSC. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Coastline Trust Co bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE NSC opened at $252.66 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $57.16 billion, a PE ratio of 21.86, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.35. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average of $247.98 and a 200-day moving average of $249.47.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 46.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on NSC. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Bank of America increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $291.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $241.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research 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 assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $276.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In other news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 350 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased 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 approximately $2,580,979.50. This trade represents a 3.50 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 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.