AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs Acquires New Shares in Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Key Points

• AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs has acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern Corporation, purchasing 8,769 shares valued at approximately $2,167,000.
• Norfolk Southern's latest quarterly earnings reported an EPS of $3.29, exceeding analysts' expectations, with revenue reaching $3.11 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.35 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 2.0%.

AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 8,769 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $2,167,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 4.9% in the first quarter. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida now owns 956 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $226,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 1.8% in the first quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,556 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $605,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Certified Advisory Corp grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 1.0% in the first quarter. Certified Advisory Corp now owns 4,644 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,100,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 1.2% in the first quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 4,241 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,004,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 11.2% in the first quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. now owns 495 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $117,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on NSC shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $278.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Susquehanna reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $260.00 target price (up previously from $250.00) on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered Norfolk Southern from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $285.15.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NSC stock opened at $274.90 on Friday. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $201.63 and a fifty-two week high of $291.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.57, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $276.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $250.29.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $3.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.10 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.35% and a net margin of 27.51%. Norfolk Southern has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Friday, August 1st were given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 1st. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.49%.

Norfolk Southern Profile

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.

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