McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. Sells 148 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 10.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,220 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 148 shares during the period. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $286,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of NSC. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Coastline Trust Co purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the second quarter worth about $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on NSC. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $283.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Susquehanna cut their target price on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $277.39.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock opened at $256.78 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.09 billion, a PE ratio of 24.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12 month low of $206.71 and a 12 month high of $277.60. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $249.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $248.64.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 19.85% and a return on equity of 20.25%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.10%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 50.70%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,580,979.50. This trade represents a 3.50 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

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.