Alyeska Investment Group L.P. Takes Position in Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Key Points

• Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired 72,248 shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation, valued at approximately $17,112,000, indicating strong institutional interest in the stock.
• Norfolk Southern reported a net margin of 27.51% and beat earnings expectations with an EPS of $3.29 for the latest quarter.
• The company has a current institutional ownership of 75.10% with various hedge funds recently modifying their positions in the stock.

Alyeska Investment Group L.P. bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 72,248 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $17,112,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 31.5% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 11,319,010 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $2,680,910,000 after purchasing an additional 2,710,930 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 25,555.7% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 989,796 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $234,433,000 after purchasing an additional 985,938 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. lifted its position in Norfolk Southern by 341.9% in the first quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 789,950 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $187,100,000 after purchasing an additional 611,198 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the first quarter worth $122,256,000. Finally, Phoenix Financial Ltd. acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the first quarter worth $110,209,000. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Baird R W upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. Susquehanna reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $260.00 price target (up previously from $250.00) on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Benchmark downgraded Norfolk Southern from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Finally, TD Cowen raised Norfolk Southern from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $263.00 to $323.00 in a report on Monday, July 21st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $285.15.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NSC stock traded down $2.23 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $277.53. 1,302,006 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,897,278. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $274.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $249.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 1-year low of $201.63 and a 1-year high of $291.69. The company has a market cap of $62.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.75, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.29.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.24 by $0.05. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.35% and a net margin of 27.51%.The company had revenue of $3.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.10 billion. Norfolk Southern has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 1st were given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 1st. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.49%.

Norfolk Southern Company 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.