Sei Investments Co. Grows Stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Sei Investments Co. raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 0.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 247,230 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 366 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. owned about 0.11% of Norfolk Southern worth $58,020,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Plancorp LLC raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 21.6% in the fourth quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 1,584 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $372,000 after acquiring an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 46.3% in the 4th quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 21,442 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $5,032,000 after purchasing an additional 6,781 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth approximately $11,299,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $794,000. Finally, Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $242,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NSC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Susquehanna lowered their target price on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Stephens boosted 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. One 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $276.63.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE NSC opened at $231.84 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The business’s 50 day moving average is $246.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $249.75. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52-week low of $206.71 and a 52-week high of $277.60. The firm has a market cap of $52.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.06, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. Research analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is currently 46.71%.

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.