Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC Shares Sold by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH decreased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 100,773 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 4,032 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $25,795,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of NSC. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the first quarter valued at $27,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 423.8% during the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 110 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 58.5% in the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 130 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the second quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 30.5% during the 2nd quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 184 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 43 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 $281.87 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $286.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $270.23. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 52-week low of $201.63 and a 52-week high of $302.24.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by ($0.01). Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 24.22% and a return on equity of 18.93%. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.25 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 20th. Investors of record on Friday, November 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on NSC shares. Benchmark reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Monday, October 27th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $289.00 to $298.00 in a report on Thursday, September 25th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $314.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 24th. Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fifteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $301.10.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 1,650 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $282.97 per share, for a total transaction of $466,900.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 12,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,395,640. This trade represents a 15.94% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Richard H. Anderson purchased 2,600 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 27th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $281.86 per share, with a total value of $732,836.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 7,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,973,020. The trade was a 59.09% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.