Thomasville National Bank Sells 55 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Thomasville National Bank decreased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 2.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,030 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 55 shares during the quarter. Thomasville National Bank’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $436,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 956 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $226,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 1,016 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $240,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Group LLC now owns 9,986 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,360,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 7,456 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,762,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 1,679 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $397,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In other news, EVP Nabanita C. Nag sold 355 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total transaction of $88,529.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,488 shares in the company, valued at $371,077.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Richard H. Anderson purchased 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 29th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $247.48 per share, with a total value of $494,960.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 3,000 shares in the company, valued at $742,440. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Nabanita C. Nag sold 355 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total transaction of $88,529.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $371,077.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have acquired 10,350 shares of company stock valued at $2,353,715. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE NSC traded down $3.87 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $239.98. The stock had a trading volume of 904,490 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,311,717. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52-week low of $183.09 and a 52-week high of $263.66. The firm has a market cap of $54.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.32. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $225.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $238.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.04 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.64% and a net margin of 14.85%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.95 EPS. Analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 2nd. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 86.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $175.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Monday, July 8th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $294.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Loop Capital lifted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $261.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $264.24.

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.