Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Invests $2.84 Million in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 12,115 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $2,843,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in NSC. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 304 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 3,097 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $727,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 6,881 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,615,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 960 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $225,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 2,507 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $588,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NSC has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $275.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $247.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $266.50.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NSC traded up $2.28 during trading on Friday, reaching $246.19. 1,089,983 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,208,683. The business's 50 day moving average price is $226.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $242.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The company has a market capitalization of $55.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1 year low of $201.63 and a 1 year high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.72 by ($0.03). Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. The business had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.49 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.19%. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.89%.

Norfolk Southern 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.