Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc. Invests $296,000 in Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,155 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $296,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the first quarter worth about $35,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 129.2% during the 1st quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 149 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 883.3% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 177 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock opened at $299.98 on Tuesday. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 1 year low of $201.63 and a 1 year high of $302.24. The firm has a market cap of $67.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.27, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a 50-day moving average of $282.90 and a 200 day moving average of $256.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.24 by $0.05. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 27.51% and a return on equity of 19.35%. The business had revenue of $3.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.10 billion. Norfolk Southern has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on NSC. TD Cowen upgraded Norfolk Southern from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $263.00 to $323.00 in a report on Monday, July 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $288.00 price objective (up from $282.00) on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Benchmark cut shares of Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $292.50.

About Norfolk Southern

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.