Blue Trust Inc. Purchases 951 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,617 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 951 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $2,141,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. Cedar Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the first quarter worth about $27,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Hobbs Group Advisors LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the second quarter worth $34,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Norfolk Southern news, CEO Alan H. Shaw sold 51,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.98, for a total value of $13,138,173.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 35,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,970,819.10. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Norfolk Southern news, CEO Alan H. Shaw sold 51,325 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.98, for a total value of $13,138,173.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 35,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,970,819.10. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, 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 shares were sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total transaction of $88,529.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $371,077.44. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 1.7 %

NYSE NSC opened at $252.37 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $247.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $236.77. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12 month low of $183.09 and a 12 month high of $263.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.64, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.31.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.20. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 14.85% and a return on equity of 19.64%. The company had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.95 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm 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 payout ratio is presently 86.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on NSC. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $241.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $175.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Citigroup began coverage on Norfolk Southern in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $294.00 price target on the stock. Benchmark lifted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. One equities 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $266.17.

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.