Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Sold by Capital Investment Advisors LLC

Capital Investment Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 4.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,147 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,133 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $6,137,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of NSC. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 4,336.9% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 4,925 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,056,000 after purchasing an additional 4,814 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 89,300.0% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 894 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $192,000 after acquiring an additional 893 shares during the last quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 220.0% in the second quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC now owns 5,322 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,142,000 after acquiring an additional 3,659 shares during the last quarter. Abound Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 122.0% in the second quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 182 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Waycross Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 36.0% in the second quarter. Waycross Partners LLC now owns 55,904 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $12,002,000 after acquiring an additional 14,805 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Norfolk Southern

In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $255.00 per share, with a total value of $255,000.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,550,000. This trade represents a 11.11 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $289.00 to $309.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Barclays lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $272.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $291.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $275.68.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NYSE:NSC opened at $237.48 on Tuesday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52 week low of $206.71 and a 52 week high of $277.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The company has a market capitalization of $53.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.34. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $253.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $246.06.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.11 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.25% and a net margin of 19.85%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.65 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.82 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.70%.

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.