United Bank Sells 4,561 Shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

United Bank cut its position in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 39.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,015 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 4,561 shares during the quarter. United Bank’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $2,013,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,825,837 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $6,012,836,000 after purchasing an additional 272,651 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,710,549 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,803,630,000 after buying an additional 379,819 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,878,029 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,401,797,000 after buying an additional 36,205 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,084,701,000. Finally, Pentwater Capital Management LP lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Pentwater Capital Management LP now owns 3,019,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $871,646,000 after purchasing an additional 269,000 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern News Summary

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on NSC shares. Susquehanna upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $330.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. Evercore set a $325.00 target price on Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, April 24th. UBS Group set a $327.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $335.00 to $351.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $360.00 to $320.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $326.72.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 1.2%

NSC traded up $3.83 on Friday, hitting $327.60. 636,072 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 981,612. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.91. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $313.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $303.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.58 billion, a PE ratio of 27.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.03 and a beta of 1.27. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 12 month low of $257.49 and a 12 month high of $328.58.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $3 billion during 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 revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.69 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 12.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date 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.