Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Sold by Compass Ion Advisors LLC

Compass Ion Advisors LLC reduced its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,661 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 115 shares during the period. Compass Ion Advisors LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $661,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of NSC. Seven Eight Capital LP purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,676,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the second quarter worth approximately $13,627,000. Broderick Brian C purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the first quarter valued at approximately $956,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the second quarter valued at approximately $846,000. Finally, Hoxton Planning & Management LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth approximately $583,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, EVP Nabanita C. Nag sold 355 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total transaction of $88,529.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,488 shares in the company, valued at $371,077.44. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Richard H. Anderson acquired 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 29th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $247.48 per share, with a total value of $494,960.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $742,440. This represents a 200.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Nabanita C. Nag sold 355 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total value of $88,529.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,488 shares in the company, valued at $371,077.44. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 1.7 %

NYSE NSC traded up $4.13 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $252.37. 1,332,534 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,252,633. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1-year low of $183.09 and a 1-year high of $263.66. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $247.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $236.77. The company has a market cap of $57.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.31.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.04 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 14.85% and a return on equity of 19.64%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.95 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.79 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st will be paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.14%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 86.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NSC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $276.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $175.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Monday, July 8th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $255.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $266.17.

Norfolk Southern Profile

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.