New Hampshire Trust Reduces Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

New Hampshire Trust trimmed its holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 5.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,448 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 236 shares during the period. New Hampshire Trust’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $1,044,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Coastline Trust Co purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NYSE NSC opened at $245.39 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $251.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $246.84. The firm has a market cap of $55.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.34. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $206.71 and a twelve month high of $277.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.25% and a net margin of 19.85%. The firm’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 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $255.00 per share, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,550,000. This represents a 11.11 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on NSC shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $272.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $263.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $274.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Benchmark increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $275.68.

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.