Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Takes Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

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

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on NSC shares. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $259.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $267.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $255.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Loop Capital lowered shares of Norfolk Southern from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $266.70.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NSC stock traded up $0.81 on Friday, hitting $247.11. 2,785,757 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,222,788. The firm's 50 day moving average is $227.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $241.42. Norfolk Southern Co. has a one year low of $201.63 and a one year high of $277.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.71 billion, a PE ratio of 21.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. 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 - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $3.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.49 EPS. Norfolk Southern's revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.19%. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is 36.89%.

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.