Southeast Asset Advisors LLC Has $332,000 Stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Southeast Asset Advisors LLC reduced its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,415 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 48 shares during the period. Southeast Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $332,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 3.6% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 255,200 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $63,417,000 after purchasing an additional 8,844 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,694,573 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,098,472,000 after buying an additional 113,648 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $1,796,000. Grandview Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at $918,000. Finally, Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 5,678 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,333,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 4.5 %

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock opened at $210.78 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.90. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52-week low of $206.71 and a 52-week high of $277.60. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $242.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $248.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30.

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

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.56%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on NSC. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $293.00 target price for the company. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Susquehanna reduced their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $272.74.

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.