Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Lowers Holdings in Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 80.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,524 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 62,391 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $4,455,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 147.9% in the first quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 523 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $150,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares in the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC raised its stake in Norfolk Southern by 76.6% during the first quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 588 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $169,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 21.1% in the 1st quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 23,420 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $6,722,000 after buying an additional 4,076 shares in the last quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 71,246 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $20,388,000 after buying an additional 838 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Saxon Interests Inc. raised its position in Norfolk Southern by 23.1% during the first quarter. Saxon Interests Inc. now owns 1,225 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $352,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern News Summary

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on NSC shares. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their target price on Norfolk Southern from $322.00 to $313.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Susquehanna raised their price target on Norfolk Southern from $330.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Evercore set a $325.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $326.72.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.0%

NYSE:NSC opened at $327.60 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $73.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 1.27. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a twelve month low of $257.49 and a twelve 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $313.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $303.09.

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

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is currently 45.49%.

About Norfolk Southern

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.