Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC Stock Holdings Trimmed by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund lessened its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 6.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 245,020 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 15,800 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $73,606,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. ORG Partners LLC lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 75.0% during the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 84 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the second quarter valued at $26,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 423.8% during the second 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. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 68.9% during the third 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. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 58.5% in the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 130 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

More Norfolk Southern News

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

• Positive Sentiment: EPS beat and margin strength — NSC reported Q4 EPS of $3.22 vs. consensus $2.78, up vs. a year ago; the company showed strong margins and ROE that helped earnings exceed estimates. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Productivity savings and operating performance — Norfolk Southern said it exceeded full‑year productivity targets, citing over $215M in annual savings; operating ratio was 68.5% and income from railway operations was $937M, which supports near‑term profitability. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared — Board declared a quarterly dividend of $1.35 per share (ex‑dividend Feb 6, payable Feb 20), which supports income investors and signals confidence in cash flow (yield ~1.9%).
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor materials and call — Management provided slides and the full earnings-call transcript; investors should review the presentation and Q&A for commentary on volumes, pricing cadence and 2026 outlook. Read More. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation commentary — Some analysts/narratives note momentum has cooled after earlier gains; keep an eye on multiple expansion/contraction relative to peers given the mixed top‑line data. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue and volume pressure — Revenue missed expectations ($3.0B vs. ~$3.03B estimate) and management flagged a volatile macro environment and softer volumes, which could limit upside unless pricing or volume trends improve. Read More.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern from an “equal weight” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Robert W. Baird set a $293.00 target price on Norfolk Southern in a report on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $354.00 to $297.00 in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $314.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $306.00.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NSC opened at $290.43 on Friday. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a one year low of $201.63 and a one year high of $302.24. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $290.30 and its 200-day moving average is $285.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.98 and a beta of 1.33.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.78 by $0.44. The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 24.22% and a return on equity of 18.93%. Equities analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Norfolk Southern news, EVP Anil Bhatt sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 1,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $397,900.80. This trade represents a 38.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director William Jr. Clyburn acquired 204 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $294.79 per share, for a total transaction of $60,137.16. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 405 shares in the company, valued at approximately $119,389.95. This represents a 101.49% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.