Running Oak Capital LLC Buys 6,200 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Running Oak Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 351.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,962 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 6,200 shares during the quarter. Running Oak Capital LLC's holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $1,882,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 662.5% during the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 122 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Provence Wealth Management Group acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 317.1% during the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 146 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NSC traded up $3.22 during trading on Thursday, reaching $233.80. 1,643,128 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,327,569. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52 week low of $183.09 and a 52 week high of $263.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.82 billion, a PE ratio of 37.65, a PEG ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.30. The company's 50 day moving average is $250.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $233.40.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.58 by ($0.09). Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.61% and a net margin of 11.76%. The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.32 earnings per share. Norfolk Southern's quarterly revenue was down 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio is currently 86.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on NSC. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $236.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Loop Capital upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $261.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Norfolk Southern in a report on Monday, April 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $300.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $262.32.

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.