Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC Lowers Holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 10.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 581 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 70 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $144,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 0.9 %

NYSE:NSC opened at $251.09 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market cap of $56.72 billion, a PE ratio of 40.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a 50-day moving average of $249.22 and a 200 day moving average of $236.79. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1-year low of $183.76 and a 1-year high of $263.66.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.11 by $0.14. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 19.85% and a return on equity of 20.25%. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.65 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st will be issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 1st. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 86.96%.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $245.15 per share, for a total transaction of $171,605.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 7,700 shares in the company, valued at $1,887,655. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $245.15 per share, for a total transaction of $171,605.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 7,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,887,655. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Alan H. Shaw sold 51,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.98, for a total transaction of $13,138,173.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 35,045 shares in the company, valued at $8,970,819.10. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NSC has been the topic of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Barclays boosted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Benchmark raised their price target on Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $274.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $294.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $274.16.

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.