Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Sold by Principle Wealth Partners LLC

Principle Wealth Partners LLC cut its stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,065 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 120 shares during the period. Principle Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $2,597,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,160 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $507,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Savant Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 10,239 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,403,000 after buying an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 13.9% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 12,502 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,934,000 after acquiring an additional 1,527 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NSC opened at $253.63 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.38 billion, a PE ratio of 21.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 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. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $246.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $250.03. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52-week low of $206.71 and a 52-week high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Loop Capital cut Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. 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. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $289.00 to $309.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $276.11.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was acquired 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 in the company, valued at $646,271.82. The trade was a 32.29 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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.