Aldebaran Financial Inc. Lowers Holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Aldebaran Financial Inc. reduced its position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,346 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 90 shares during the quarter. Norfolk Southern comprises about 1.3% of Aldebaran Financial Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position. Aldebaran Financial Inc.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $933,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cedar Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the first quarter worth about $27,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on NSC. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $265.00 to $276.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $267.00 to $272.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 8th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $265.17.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.8 %

NSC opened at $248.50 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $245.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $237.17. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 52 week low of $183.09 and a 52 week high of $263.66. The firm has a market cap of $56.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.02, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.04 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 14.85% and a return on equity of 19.64%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.95 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 2nd were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 2nd. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 86.96%.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Richard H. Anderson bought 2,000 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 29th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $247.48 per share, for a total transaction of $494,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $742,440. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Richard H. Anderson purchased 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 29th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $247.48 per share, with a total value of $494,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $742,440. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Nabanita C. Nag sold 355 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction on Monday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.38, for a total transaction 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

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.