Trexquant Investment LP Takes $13.84 Million Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 58,971 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $13,840,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Atlantic Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Stephens upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada raised 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $293.00 price objective on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $274.84.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:NSC opened at $236.46 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $53.54 billion, a PE ratio of 20.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. The company’s 50 day moving average is $244.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $248.86. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52 week low of $206.71 and a 52 week high of $277.60. 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 (NYSE:NSC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 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%. Equities analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.