Nicolet Advisory Services LLC Buys 215 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Nicolet Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,598 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 215 shares during the quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $1,126,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of NSC. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 197.0% in the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,470 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,904,000 after purchasing an additional 4,955 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 1st quarter worth about $76,000. BOKF NA lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 46.5% during the 1st quarter. BOKF NA now owns 39,983 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $10,076,000 after acquiring an additional 12,692 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 2.1% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,986,180 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,525,699,000 after purchasing an additional 124,362 shares during the period. Finally, Carroll Investors Inc bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the first quarter valued at approximately $529,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on NSC shares. TD Cowen upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $291.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $289.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $275.68.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:NSC opened at $268.95 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $253.90 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $239.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.25, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52-week low of $206.71 and a 52-week high of $277.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.73.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.65 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.82 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.01%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.70%.

Insider Activity at Norfolk Southern

In other news, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $255.00 per share, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly 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 purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Alan H. Shaw sold 51,325 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.98, for a total value of $13,138,173.50. Following the completion of 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.