iSAM Funds UK Ltd Makes New Investment in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

iSAM Funds UK Ltd bought a new position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 929 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $231,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 9.6% during the 2nd quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 3,714 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $797,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 3,182 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $704,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Co. increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 77.3% in the 2nd quarter. Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Co. now owns 16,187 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,475,000 after buying an additional 7,055 shares during the period. Maia Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $227,000. Finally, Diversified Trust Co increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 15.2% in the second quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 3,646 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $783,000 after acquiring an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 1.2 %

NSC opened at $260.78 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $258.80 and a 200-day moving average of $242.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.31. 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 1-year low of $206.71 and a 1-year high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.11 by $0.14. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 19.85% and a return on equity of 20.25%. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.65 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 1st. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on NSC shares. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Susquehanna boosted their target price 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. Finally, Loop Capital lifted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $287.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. One 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $275.68.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In related news, CEO Alan H. Shaw sold 51,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.98, for a total value of $13,138,173.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 35,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,970,819.10. The trade was a 59.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $255.00 per share, with a total value of $255,000.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,550,000. This trade represents a 11.11 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

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.