Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Acquired by Aspire Private Capital LLC

Aspire Private Capital LLC increased its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 23.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,261 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. Aspire Private Capital LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $296,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of NSC. Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 18,831.2% in the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 3,298,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $819,553,000 after acquiring an additional 3,280,579 shares during the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 25,181.8% during the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 893,459 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $222,025,000 after purchasing an additional 889,925 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 48.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,702,344 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $671,532,000 after purchasing an additional 881,415 shares during the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth $207,830,000. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at $122,798,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 2.7 %

Shares of NYSE:NSC opened at $251.96 on Wednesday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1 year low of $206.71 and a 1 year high of $277.60. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $250.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $247.04. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.00 billion, a PE ratio of 23.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.34.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.65 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Benchmark boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $274.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $291.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.