Sameh Fahmy Buys 350 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Stock

Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Director Sameh Fahmy bought 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 10,350 shares in the company, valued at $2,580,979.50. This trade represents a 3.50 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

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

• On Thursday, October 24th, Sameh Fahmy purchased 1,000 shares of Norfolk Southern stock. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $255.00 per share, with a total value of $255,000.00.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock traded down $2.09 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $246.22. The company had a trading volume of 1,043,099 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,243,829. The firm has a market cap of $55.70 billion, a PE ratio of 23.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.31. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $259.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $243.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.65. Norfolk Southern Co. has a fifty-two week low of $206.71 and a fifty-two week high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.11 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.08 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 19.85% and a return on equity of 20.25%. Norfolk Southern’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.65 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 50.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NSC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $274.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $272.00 to $282.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $283.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $275.68.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norfolk Southern

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

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.