Somerset Trust Co Has $3.92 Million Position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Somerset Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 2.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 16,704 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 429 shares during the period. Norfolk Southern comprises approximately 1.5% of Somerset Trust Co’s holdings, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Somerset Trust Co’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $3,920,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of NSC. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Coastline Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the third quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $255.00 per share, with a total value of $255,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,550,000. This represents a 11.11 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NSC opened at $245.39 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The stock has a market cap of $55.52 billion, a PE ratio of 23.04, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.34. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12-month low of $206.71 and a 12-month high of $277.60. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $251.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $246.19.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.65 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NSC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI cut their price target 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. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $289.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note 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. Barclays raised their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $291.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.