Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC Shares Acquired by GABELLI & Co INVESTMENT ADVISERS INC.

GABELLI & Co INVESTMENT ADVISERS INC. increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 3.0% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 52,120 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 1,500 shares during the quarter. Norfolk Southern comprises about 2.2% of GABELLI & Co INVESTMENT ADVISERS INC.’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. GABELLI & Co INVESTMENT ADVISERS INC.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $14,958,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. BNP Paribas purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 239.3% in the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 95 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Bayban acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NSC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $363.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Norfolk Southern from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Wolfe Research lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $320.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $365.00 to $385.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $344.35.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock opened at $351.69 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $317.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $306.16. The stock has a market cap of $78.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.01, a PEG ratio of 6.37 and a beta of 1.27. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 12-month low of $268.23 and a 12-month high of $358.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.32 by $0.20. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.02% and a return on equity of 18.21%. The firm had revenue of $3.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.38 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.29 EPS. Norfolk Southern’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 12.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 7th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.49%.

Key Norfolk Southern News

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

About Norfolk Southern

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.