Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Purchased by Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC

Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 12.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 651 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $140,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Northcape Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Norfolk Southern by 17.3% during the second quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,392 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $728,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 10.9% during the second quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 20,207 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,338,000 after purchasing an additional 1,979 shares in the last quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 6,645 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,427,000 after buying an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 56,904 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $12,217,000 after purchasing an additional 656 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Merchants Corp acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the second quarter worth about $278,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 1.5 %

NSC opened at $240.65 on Monday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a one year low of $183.09 and a one year high of $263.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.32. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $229.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $238.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.63.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.04 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.64% and a net margin of 14.85%. Norfolk Southern’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.95 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.78 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Friday, August 2nd were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 86.96%.

Insider Activity

In other Norfolk Southern news, EVP Nabanita C. Nag sold 355 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total value of $88,529.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $371,077.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $245.15 per share, with a total value of $171,605.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 7,700 shares in the company, valued at $1,887,655. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Nabanita C. Nag sold 355 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total value of $88,529.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,488 shares in the company, valued at $371,077.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders acquired a total of 10,350 shares of company stock valued at $2,353,715 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on NSC. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $267.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 26th. Susquehanna raised their price target on Norfolk Southern from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Benchmark boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. 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 report on Monday, July 8th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $251.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $264.24.

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.