Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 72,655 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,102 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $18,055,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cedar Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Hobbs Group Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Benchmark boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $267.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Monday, July 8th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $251.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $266.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $245.15 per share, for a total transaction of $171,605.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 7,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,887,655. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Nabanita C. Nag sold 355 shares of the firm’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 value of $88,529.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $371,077.44. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 700 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $245.15 per share, with a total value of $171,605.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 7,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,887,655. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 1.5 %

NYSE NSC traded down $3.81 during trading on Monday, reaching $248.56. 763,051 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,250,222. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $247.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $236.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.63. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1 year low of $183.09 and a 1 year high of $263.66. The stock has a market cap of $56.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.31.

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

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.17%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 86.96%.

Norfolk Southern Company 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.