CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. Makes New $616,000 Investment in Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Key Points

• CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. has made a new investment of approximately $616,000 in Norfolk Southern Corporation, acquiring 2,600 shares of the railroad operator's stock.
• Norfolk Southern recently reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $3.29, exceeding the consensus estimate by $0.05, with a revenue of $3.11 billion.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.35 per share, representing an annualized dividend yield of 1.9%.

CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,600 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $616,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Greenline Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the first quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 0.8%

NYSE:NSC opened at $277.53 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.34 billion, a PE ratio of 18.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.29. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $274.85 and a 200-day moving average of $249.36. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 52 week low of $201.63 and a 52 week high of $291.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.24 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $3.11 billion during 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. Analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on NSC. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, July 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $288.00 target price (up from $282.00) on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Barclays boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $279.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $285.15.

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.

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