Davidson Investment Advisors Raises Stock Position in Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Davidson Investment Advisors boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 55,618 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 642 shares during the period. Davidson Investment Advisors’ holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $14,237,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 129.2% during the first 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 last quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the first quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 883.3% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 177 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NSC opened at $289.66 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $65.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.57, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.79. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $201.63 and a fifty-two week high of $302.24. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $284.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $259.06.

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. The firm had revenue of $3.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.10 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 27.51% and a return on equity of 19.35%. Norfolk Southern has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Friday, August 1st were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 1st. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is presently 36.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on NSC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $303.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Benchmark lowered shares of Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $263.00 to $323.00 in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Baird R W upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $293.80.

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.