Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC is Ausbil Investment Management Ltd's Largest Position

Key Points

• Ausbil Investment Management Ltd significantly increased its stake in Norfolk Southern Corporation by 69.3%, making it its largest position, accounting for approximately 5.1% of its total holdings.
• Norfolk Southern reported quarterly earnings of $3.29 EPS, surpassing analysts' expectations, and declared a quarterly dividend of $1.35 per share, which represents an annual yield of 1.8%.
• Institutional investors own 75.10% of Norfolk Southern's stock, with various firms notably increasing their holdings, demonstrating strong institutional interest in the company.

Ausbil Investment Management Ltd raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 69.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 33,764 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 13,825 shares during the quarter. Norfolk Southern accounts for about 5.1% of Ausbil Investment Management Ltd's holdings, making the stock its biggest position. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $8,643,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 31.5% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 11,319,010 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $2,680,910,000 after purchasing an additional 2,710,930 shares in the last quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $321,393,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 25,555.7% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 989,796 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $234,433,000 after acquiring an additional 985,938 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. boosted its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 341.9% during the 1st quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 789,950 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $187,100,000 after acquiring an additional 611,198 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 1st quarter worth approximately $122,256,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 1.0%

NSC stock opened at $297.61 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $66.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.11, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $280.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $253.62. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 52 week low of $201.63 and a 52 week high of $298.42.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last released 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 the consensus estimate 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. On average, equities research analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Friday, August 1st were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 1st. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio is 36.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on NSC. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Baird R W raised Norfolk Southern to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. 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, Susquehanna upped their target price on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $288.45.

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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