Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC Sells 60 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 5.9% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 951 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 60 shares during the period. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $223,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CWS Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 16.3% during the 4th quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,019 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $239,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 957 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $440,000. W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co raised its position in Norfolk Southern by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co now owns 35,648 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $8,367,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Skylands Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Skylands Capital LLC now owns 63,670 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $14,943,000 after buying an additional 5,900 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,580,979.50. This trade represents a 3.50 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NSC opened at $243.75 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $55.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. 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 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $245.47 and a 200 day moving average of $250.79.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is currently 46.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on NSC. Barclays boosted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Stephens raised their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Loop Capital downgraded Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $289.00 to $256.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $276.11.

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.