Roberts Wealth Advisors LLC Purchases 950 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Roberts Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 43.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,150 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 950 shares during the period. Roberts Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $757,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp raised its stake in Norfolk Southern by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,330,849 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,318,716,000 after buying an additional 196,249 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.4% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,580,925 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,133,828,000 after purchasing an additional 62,186 shares during the period. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 3,892,717 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $967,340,000 after purchasing an additional 103,281 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 3,280,579 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 48.4% during 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 in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NYSE:NSC opened at $251.96 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12-month low of $206.71 and a 12-month high of $277.60. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $250.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $247.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.34.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 quarter last year, the firm posted $2.65 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on NSC. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $274.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $263.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $283.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Bank of America increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $291.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $275.68.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 350 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $249.37 per share, for a total transaction of $87,279.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 10,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,580,979.50. This trade represents a 3.50 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.