Brookstone Capital Management Sells 3,596 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Brookstone Capital Management lessened its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 54.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,993 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 3,596 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management's holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $702,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of NSC. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth $25,000. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at $30,000. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the second quarter valued at $31,000. Coastline Trust Co purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 1,000 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $255.00 per share, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $2,550,000. This represents a 11.11 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NSC traded down $1.72 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $245.39. 1,024,019 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 970,692. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $251.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $246.41. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12 month low of $206.71 and a 12 month high of $277.60. The stock has a market cap of $55.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.65.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.25 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.08 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.65 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly 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 year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $289.00 to $309.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $274.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $272.00 to $282.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $291.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $275.68.

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.