Sameh Fahmy Purchases 1,650 Shares of Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) Stock

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 1,650 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $282.97 per share, for a total transaction of $466,900.50. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 12,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,395,640. This represents a 15.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NSC traded up $1.21 during trading on Thursday, hitting $281.98. 252,189 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,567,289. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a one year low of $201.63 and a one year high of $302.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.50, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.33. The business’s fifty day moving average is $285.96 and its 200-day moving average is $266.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.31 by ($0.01). Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 24.22% and a return on equity of 18.93%. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.25 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 7th will be paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 7th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 41.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on NSC. Barclays upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Benchmark reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $321.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $299.70.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NSC. ORG Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 75.0% in the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 84 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 207.1% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 86 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. BNP Paribas bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 423.8% during the 2nd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 110 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. 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.