Fox Hill Wealth Management Has $2.70 Million Stock Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Fox Hill Wealth Management lowered its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 11.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,578 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,402 shares during the quarter. Norfolk Southern makes up approximately 1.8% of Fox Hill Wealth Management’s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Fox Hill Wealth Management’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $2,696,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of NSC. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 65.6% in the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 166,520 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $32,793,000 after purchasing an additional 65,966 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 148.2% in the third quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 17,001 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,348,000 after purchasing an additional 10,151 shares in the last quarter. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 64.9% in the third quarter. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC now owns 1,811 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $357,000 after purchasing an additional 713 shares in the last quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 1.0% in the third quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 9,417 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,855,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 450.3% in the third quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 25,400 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $5,002,000 after purchasing an additional 20,784 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Norfolk Southern from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $270.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Norfolk Southern in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $300.00 price target for the company. Susquehanna decreased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $245.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 13th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $262.89.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 14th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $219.25 per share, with a total value of $438,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 7,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,534,750. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 14th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $219.25 per share, with a total value of $438,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 7,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,534,750. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Claude Mongeau bought 5,650 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 29th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $221.00 per share, with a total value of $1,248,650.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 20,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,420,000. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Norfolk Southern stock traded up $4.79 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $214.69. The stock had a trading volume of 1,584,755 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,129,521. The company has a 50-day moving average of $227.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $238.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The company has a market cap of $48.50 billion, a PE ratio of 34.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.31. Norfolk Southern Co. has a fifty-two week low of $183.09 and a fifty-two week high of $263.66.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.58 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 11.76% and a return on equity of 19.61%. The company’s revenue was down 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.32 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 3rd were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.52%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 86.96%.

About Norfolk Southern

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.