Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Director Acquires $255,000.00 in Stock

Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Director Sameh Fahmy bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $255.00 per share, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $2,550,000. 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 link.

Sameh Fahmy also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, August 1st, Sameh Fahmy bought 700 shares of Norfolk Southern stock. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $245.15 per share, for a total transaction of $171,605.00.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 0.9 %

NYSE:NSC opened at $251.09 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.58, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.31. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1-year low of $183.76 and a 1-year high of $263.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $249.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $237.00.

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

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st will be paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 1st. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.15%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on NSC. Barclays lifted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Benchmark lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $263.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $274.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $274.16.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Cedar Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the second quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% 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.