First National Trust Co Has $1.37 Million Stock Holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

First National Trust Co lowered its holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 5.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,375 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 395 shares during the quarter. First National Trust Co’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $1,369,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 956 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $226,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. now owns 1,516 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $325,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Blue Chip Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Chip Partners LLC now owns 7,716 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,656,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 12.4% during the 2nd quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 381 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC boosted its position in Norfolk Southern by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 1,679 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $397,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. TD Cowen increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $251.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $239.00 to $241.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $267.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their target price on Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $264.24.

Insider Activity

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Richard H. Anderson bought 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 29th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $247.48 per share, with a total value of $494,960.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $742,440. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director Richard H. Anderson bought 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 29th. The stock was bought at an average price of $247.48 per share, for a total transaction of $494,960.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 3,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $742,440. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was bought at an average price of $245.15 per share, for a total transaction of $171,605.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 7,700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,887,655. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders acquired a total of 4,700 shares of company stock valued at $1,105,065 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE:NSC opened at $259.69 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $234.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $238.22. The firm has a market cap of $58.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.82, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12 month low of $183.09 and a 12 month high of $263.66.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.04 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 14.85% and a return on equity of 19.64%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.95 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 2nd were paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.08%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 86.96%.

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.