Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC Stock Position Cut by Groupama Asset Managment

Key Points

• Groupama Asset Management has reduced its stake in Norfolk Southern Corporation by 24.7%, now holding 8,736 shares worth approximately $2,014,000.
• Norfolk Southern announced a quarterly dividend of $1.35 per share to be paid on August 20th, which represents an annualized dividend yield of 1.9%.
• The company's most recent earnings report showed an EPS of $3.29, exceeding analysts' expectations of $3.24.

Groupama Asset Managment cut its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 24.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,736 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 2,873 shares during the quarter. Groupama Asset Managment's holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $2,014,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CoreCap Advisors LLC boosted its position in Norfolk Southern by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 3,097 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $727,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida now owns 956 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $226,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,556 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $605,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Certified Advisory Corp increased its stake 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 increased its stake 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. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. TD Cowen raised shares of Norfolk Southern from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $263.00 to $323.00 in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered shares of Norfolk Southern from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $255.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $285.15.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NSC traded down $0.3760 on Friday, reaching $283.9740. 4,575,302 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,818,490. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.19, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.31. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $201.63 and a fifty-two week high of $291.69. The business's 50-day moving average is $270.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $247.75. 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 (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.24 by $0.05. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 27.51% and a return on equity of 19.35%. 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. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

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

About Norfolk Southern

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.