Graham Capital Management L.P. Invests $1.20 Million in Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Key Points

• Graham Capital Management L.P. has acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern Corporation, purchasing 5,050 shares valued at approximately $1.2 million.
• Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Norfolk Southern by 1.2%, and other institutional investors have also upped their holdings, indicating strong interest in the company.
• Norfolk Southern recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.35 per share, reflecting a dividend yield of 1.9% and a payout ratio of 36.49%.

Graham Capital Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 5,050 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $1,196,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 31.5% during the first 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 acquiring an additional 2,710,930 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Norfolk Southern by 25,555.7% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 989,796 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $234,433,000 after acquiring an additional 985,938 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Norfolk Southern in the first quarter worth approximately $122,256,000. Phoenix Financial Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the first quarter worth about $110,209,000. Finally, Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 91.3% in the 1st quarter. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC now owns 616,384 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $145,991,000 after acquiring an additional 294,182 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on NSC shares. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $279.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. TD Cowen raised Norfolk Southern from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $263.00 to $323.00 in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered shares of Norfolk Southern from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Susquehanna reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $260.00 target price (up from $250.00) on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Barclays raised 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 assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $285.15.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

NSC stock traded down $2.23 during trading on Friday, hitting $277.53. 1,302,006 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,896,946. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $274.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $249.36. The stock has a market cap of $62.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.29. 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 Corporation has a one year low of $201.63 and a one 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 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.24 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $3.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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. Equities analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.9%. 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.