National Pension Service Acquires 12,089 Shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

National Pension Service increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 2.1% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 581,261 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,089 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $174,617,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. ORG Partners LLC raised its position in Norfolk Southern by 75.0% in the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 84 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. BNP Paribas purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 68.9% in the 3rd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 103 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 423.8% in the 2nd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 110 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Consulate Inc. purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the third quarter valued at $36,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on NSC. Susquehanna upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $304.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $299.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $314.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Wolfe Research increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $361.00 to $368.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $303.32.

Trending Headlines about Norfolk Southern

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

• Positive Sentiment: NSC reported quarterly EPS that beat consensus (reported $3.22 vs. ~ $2.76 expected), driven by pricing and cost control that lifted margins and helped results despite softer volumes. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Company highlighted sustained productivity improvements and over $215 million in annual savings for the full year, which supports cashflow and profitability going forward. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Operating-performance metrics beat some expectations (operating ratio ~68.5%), and management emphasized cost discipline as a buffer against a challenging macro backdrop. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript, slide deck and detailed presentation are available for investors who want forward guidance and segment-level color. These materials are useful for assessing whether productivity gains and pricing can continue. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Benzinga ran an “Expert Outlook” summarizing the views of eight analysts — useful for gauging consensus and differing assumptions on volumes, pricing and margin recovery. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue slightly missed expectations (reported ~$3.0B vs. ~$3.03B consensus), reflecting weaker volumes — a reminder that top-line risk remains if demand softens. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Two large firms trimmed price targets (JPMorgan: $301 → $296; Citigroup: $317 → $300) and keep neutral ratings, which caps near-term analyst-driven upside despite the beat. Read More.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NSC opened at $291.40 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $65.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 1 year low of $201.63 and a 1 year high of $302.24. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $290.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $285.85.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.46. The firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 23.59% and a return on equity of 18.78%. Norfolk Southern’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.04 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 6th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.19%.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, EVP Anil Bhatt sold 900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.60, for a total transaction of $253,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,413 shares in the company, valued at $397,900.80. This trade represents a 38.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director William Jr. Clyburn acquired 204 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $294.79 per share, for a total transaction of $60,137.16. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 405 shares in the company, valued at approximately $119,389.95. This represents a 101.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

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.