Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Sold by Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH decreased its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 9.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 2,428 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 250 shares during the period. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $570,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Coastline Trust Co acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at $32,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the second quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on NSC. UBS Group increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $289.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $263.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Loop Capital increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $287.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $241.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. One 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $275.68.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Norfolk Southern stock opened at $256.47 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $249.90 and its 200-day moving average is $247.33. The company has a market cap of $58.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.34. 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 12 month low of $206.71 and a 12 month high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.11 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.65 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Norfolk Southern

In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 10,350 shares in the company, valued at $2,580,979.50. This represents a 3.50 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern 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.