Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC is Ausbil Investment Management Ltd’s Largest Position

Ausbil Investment Management Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 69.3% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 33,764 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,825 shares during the period. Norfolk Southern makes up 5.1% of Ausbil Investment Management Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $8,643,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 1.7% in the second quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,429 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $622,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 30.5% in the second quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 184 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 4.9% in the first quarter. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida now owns 956 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $226,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 1.8% in the first quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,556 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $605,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Certified Advisory Corp grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 1.0% in the first quarter. Certified Advisory Corp now owns 4,644 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,100,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on NSC. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $255.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $278.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada cut shares of Norfolk Southern from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $288.45.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:NSC opened at $297.61 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $280.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $253.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.29. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 12-month low of $201.63 and a 12-month high of $298.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.24 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $3.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.10 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 27.51% and a return on equity of 19.35%. Norfolk Southern has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 1st were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 1st. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.49%.

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.