54,253 Shares in Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC Acquired by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 54,253 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $13,887,000.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 423.8% during the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 110 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 58.5% in the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 130 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the second quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 30.5% during the 2nd quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 184 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NSC has been the topic of several recent research reports. Loop Capital increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $235.00 to $278.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Norfolk Southern from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 25th. Benchmark reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $316.00 to $307.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Susquehanna upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $301.10.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 2.2%

NYSE NSC opened at $286.38 on Monday. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 12 month low of $201.63 and a 12 month high of $302.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market cap of $64.26 billion, a PE ratio of 21.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.33. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $287.67 and its 200 day moving average is $271.95.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.31 by ($0.01). Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 24.22% and a return on equity of 18.93%. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.25 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 7th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 7th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.19%.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In related news, EVP Anil Bhatt sold 900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.60, for a total value of $253,440.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 1,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $397,900.80. The trade was a 38.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 1,650 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $282.97 per share, with a total value of $466,900.50. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 12,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,395,640. This represents a 15.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

About Norfolk Southern

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.