Cwm LLC Sells 235 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Cwm LLC cut its holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,368 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 235 shares during the quarter. Cwm LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $1,582,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NSC traded down $2.87 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $239.16. 100,604 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,299,314. The company’s 50 day moving average is $226.11 and its 200 day moving average is $238.43. Norfolk Southern Co. has a one year low of $183.09 and a one year high of $263.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.03 billion, a PE ratio of 38.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.32.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.20. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 14.85% and a return on equity of 19.64%. The business had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.95 earnings per share. Norfolk Southern’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Friday, August 2nd will be given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 2nd. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 86.96%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Nabanita C. Nag sold 355 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total value of $88,529.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $371,077.44. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Nabanita C. Nag sold 355 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total value of $88,529.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $371,077.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 14th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $219.25 per share, with a total value of $438,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 7,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,534,750. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased 10,350 shares of company stock valued at $2,353,715 over the last ninety days. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on NSC shares. TD Cowen increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $251.00 to $253.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $175.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Monday, July 8th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $294.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $264.24.

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.