Qsemble Capital Management LP Invests $557,000 in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Qsemble Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,241 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $557,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,265 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $563,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. now owns 1,516 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $325,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Blue Chip Partners LLC boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Chip Partners LLC now owns 7,716 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,656,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Stephens Consulting LLC increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 12.4% during the 2nd quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 381 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.2% during the third quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,043 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $256,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $255.00 per share, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 10,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,550,000. This trade represents a 11.11 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Alan H. Shaw sold 51,325 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.98, for a total value of $13,138,173.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 35,045 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,970,819.10. This trade represents a 59.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 0.3 %

Norfolk Southern stock traded down $0.71 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $275.38. 626,668 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,250,665. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $256.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $241.11. Norfolk Southern Co. has a twelve month low of $206.71 and a twelve month high of $277.60. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $62.30 billion, a PE ratio of 25.86, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.30.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 analysts' expectations of $3.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.65 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 11.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.96%. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio is currently 50.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NSC has been the topic of several research reports. Benchmark upped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $253.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report 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. Barclays increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $276.00 to $274.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $275.68.

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.