MML Investors Services LLC Raises Stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

MML Investors Services LLC lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 87.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,472 shares of the railroad operator's stock after buying an additional 15,569 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC's holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $7,856,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NSC. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth $547,575,000. Boston Partners increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 16.9% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,020,392 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $945,385,000 after buying an additional 580,293 shares in the last quarter. Amundi increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 56.4% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,302,635 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $308,607,000 after buying an additional 469,558 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at about $105,225,000. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 13.8% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,073,933 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $721,452,000 after acquiring an additional 371,589 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:NSC traded up $1.14 on Tuesday, hitting $222.87. 256,047 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,249,738. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $229.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $244.73. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $54.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12 month low of $201.63 and a 12 month high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 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 company had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.01 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.49 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is 36.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere purchased 607 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,487 shares of the company's stock, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on NSC shares. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $269.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Norfolk Southern from $271.00 to $270.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target 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 analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $266.10.

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.