Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. Sells 1,000 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. trimmed its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 42.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,345 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,000 shares during the quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $316,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NSC opened at $256.47 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $249.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $247.33. The company has a market cap of $58.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.34. Norfolk Southern Co. has a one year low of $206.71 and a one year high of $277.60. 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 (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.25% and a net margin of 19.85%. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.65 EPS. Norfolk Southern’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $249.37 per share, with a total value of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on NSC. Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $274.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Bank of America increased their target price on Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $291.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $272.00 to $282.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $275.68.

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.