Dodge & Cox Has $2.53 Billion Stake in Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Key Points

• Dodge & Cox holds a stake of approximately $2.53 billion in Norfolk Southern Corporation, comprising about 1.4% of its overall portfolio.
• Norfolk Southern's recent quarterly earnings report showed an EPS of $3.29, exceeding analyst expectations and generating revenue of $3.11 billion.
• Several analysts have upgraded their ratings for Norfolk Southern, with price targets now ranging from $279 to $323, reflecting increasing confidence in the stock.

Dodge & Cox decreased its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 0.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,666,554 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 22,655 shares during the quarter. Norfolk Southern makes up approximately 1.4% of Dodge & Cox's portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Dodge & Cox owned 4.73% of Norfolk Southern worth $2,526,373,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. CoreCap Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 3,097 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $727,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida now owns 956 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $226,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,556 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $605,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Certified Advisory Corp lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Certified Advisory Corp now owns 4,644 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,100,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, Malaga Cove Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Malaga Cove Capital LLC now owns 2,451 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $575,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on NSC. TD Cowen raised Norfolk Southern from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $263.00 to $323.00 in a report on Monday, July 21st. Citigroup lifted their target price on Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a 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 report on Monday, July 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, July 25th. 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 research note on Friday, May 30th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $285.15.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:NSC opened at $283.9740 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $63.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The business's 50-day moving average is $270.13 and its 200-day moving average is $247.75. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 1 year low of $201.63 and a 1 year high of $291.69.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $3.10 billion. Norfolk Southern has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 earnings per share for the current 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. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 1st. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is presently 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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