World Investment Advisors LLC Purchases 1,089 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

World Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 10.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,226 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,089 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $2,790,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NSC. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NSC has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $283.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $272.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $263.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. One investment 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $275.68.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 350 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 10,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,580,979.50. This represents a 3.50 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 0.8 %

NYSE:NSC opened at $246.22 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $259.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $243.50. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52-week low of $206.71 and a 52-week high of $277.60. The company has a market cap of $55.70 billion, a PE ratio of 23.12, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.73.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.11 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 19.85% and a return on equity of 20.25%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.65 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st were given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 1st. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.70%.

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.