Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC is Sculptor Capital LP’s 9th Largest Position

Sculptor Capital LP lifted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 29.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 658,413 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 150,413 shares during the quarter. Norfolk Southern accounts for about 2.0% of Sculptor Capital LP’s holdings, making the stock its 9th largest position. Sculptor Capital LP owned about 0.29% of Norfolk Southern worth $188,965,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. BNP Paribas bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 239.3% in the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 95 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the first quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Bayban bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NSC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Evercore set a $358.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $365.00 to $385.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $351.00 to $376.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $344.35.

Norfolk Southern News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Norfolk Southern beat Q2 expectations, posting $3.52 in EPS and revenue above estimates, with revenue up 12.5% year over year and record quarterly sales. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $385 and reiterated an overweight rating, signaling confidence that the stock still has room to run. Benzinga article
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup lifted its target to $376, reflecting a more constructive view after the earnings release, even though it kept a neutral rating. Benzinga article
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its target to $338 but maintained a neutral rating, suggesting valuation looks less compelling after the recent move higher. Benzinga article
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary noted lower profitability and margin pressure despite the revenue beat, which may temper enthusiasm if cost pressures persist. Seeking Alpha article
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability was held back by higher fuel costs and lower efficiency, showing that cost inflation remains a headwind even as demand improves. TipRanks article

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:NSC opened at $351.69 on Monday. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 52-week low of $268.23 and a 52-week high of $358.60. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $317.37 and a 200 day moving average of $306.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.99 billion, a PE ratio of 30.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.32 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.83.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.32 by $0.20. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.21% and a net margin of 21.02%.The business had revenue of $3.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.29 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 12.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 7th will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 7th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 46.08%.

Norfolk Southern Company 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.