Navigate Wealth Management LLC Takes Position in Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

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

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Diversify Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the first quarter worth $855,000. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. raised its position 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 worth $4,215,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. Carnegie Investment Counsel boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 125,768 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $34,159,000 after acquiring an additional 6,807 shares in the last quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 4,574 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,313,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Seneca House Advisors grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 34.3% during the 1st quarter. Seneca House Advisors now owns 1,975 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $567,000 after acquiring an additional 504 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NSC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $335.00 to $351.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group set a $327.00 target price on Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased 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. Finally, Wolfe Research lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $326.72.

Norfolk Southern News Roundup

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 Price Performance

NYSE:NSC opened at $327.60 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $313.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $303.09. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 12 month low of $257.49 and a 12 month high of $328.58. 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. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

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

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

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

Norfolk Southern 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.