Ames National Corp Buys New Shares in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Ames National Corp bought a new position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 2,200 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $516,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of NSC. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Atlantic Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NSC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $267.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $255.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Susquehanna decreased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $250.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $260.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $266.50.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE NSC opened at $244.23 on Wednesday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52 week low of $201.63 and a 52 week high of $277.60. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $226.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $242.38. 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 market cap of $55.06 billion, a PE ratio of 21.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.49 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.21%. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.89%.

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.

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