Navigate Wealth Management LLC Acquires New Position in Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Navigate Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,880 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $568,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Diversify Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 1st quarter worth approximately $855,000. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.8% in the first quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 14,685 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,215,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 5.7% in the first quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 125,768 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $34,159,000 after purchasing an additional 6,807 shares during the last quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 1.8% during the first quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 4,574 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,313,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Seneca House Advisors lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 34.3% during the first quarter. Seneca House Advisors now owns 1,975 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $567,000 after buying an additional 504 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NSC has been the subject of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings lowered Norfolk Southern from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Wolfe Research boosted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $335.00 to $351.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $360.00 to $320.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $326.72.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NSC opened at $327.60 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $313.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $303.09. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 12-month low of $257.49 and a 12-month high of $328.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market cap of $73.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 1.27.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.49 by $0.16. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 18.30%. The company had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.13 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.69 earnings per share. Norfolk Southern’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 12.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.49%.

Key Stories Impacting Norfolk Southern

Here are the key news stories impacting Norfolk Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Robert W. Baird raised its price target on Norfolk Southern from $330 to $360, signaling more upside potential even though the firm kept a neutral rating. Benzinga report
• Positive Sentiment: Stephens upgraded Norfolk Southern to hold, a modestly more favorable stance that can support sentiment around the stock. Tickerreport.com article
• Neutral Sentiment: A Globe and Mail roundup noted that analyst views on Norfolk Southern are mixed, reinforcing that investors are balancing optimism on valuation with caution on near-term fundamentals. The Globe and Mail article
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan lowered its price target from $331 to $316 and kept a neutral rating, suggesting limited upside from current levels and some pressure on sentiment. Benzinga report
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual options activity showed a surge in put buying, which can indicate that some traders are positioning for downside or hedging against short-term weakness. Options trading report

Norfolk Southern Company Profile

Norfolk Southern Corporation is a major U.S. freight railroad company that provides rail transportation and related logistics services. As a Class I carrier, the company operates an extensive network across the eastern United States and offers scheduled freight service for a broad range of industries. Its core operations include long-haul and regional rail freight transportation, intermodal services that move containers and trailers between rail and other modes, and terminal and switching services that support efficient rail shipments for industrial and port customers.

The company transports a variety of commodities, serving sectors such as coal and energy, automotive and automotive parts, chemicals, agriculture, metals and construction materials, and consumer goods.