(Source: Norfolk Southern press release, June 5, 2012)
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Norfolk Southern rang The Closing Bell on the New York Stock Exchange today in recognition of the 30th anniversary of the listing of the corporation’s securities.
Accompanied by NS employees and officers, CEO Wick Moorman rang the bell at 4 p.m. to signal the official end of the trading day. The bell-ringing tradition traces its history to the 1870s, and today participation is considered a high honor in American business.
Norfolk Southern stock first began trading on June 2, 1982, under the symbol “NSC,” one day after the effective date of the consolidation of Southern Railway and Norfolk and Western Railway. During a ceremony in New York, the new company’s officers presented the exchange president a golden spike that had been used in national advertising announcing NS’ formation.
At the end of 2011, 330.4 million shares of NS stock were owned by individual and institutional investors.