Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC Shares Sold by Marotta Asset Management

Key Points

• Marotta Asset Management reduced its holdings in Norfolk Southern Corporation by 49.5%, selling 955 shares during the second quarter.
• Norfolk Southern reported $3.29 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding the consensus estimate of $3.24, with a revenue of $3.11 billion.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.35 per share, representing an annualized dividend yield of 2.0%.

Marotta Asset Management trimmed its holdings in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) by 49.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 975 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 955 shares during the quarter. Marotta Asset Management's holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $249,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern in the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 129.2% in the first quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 149 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NSC opened at $274.90 on Friday. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $276.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $250.29. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 1-year low of $201.63 and a 1-year high of $291.69. The company has a market cap of $61.75 billion, a PE ratio of 18.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.29.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.24 by $0.05. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 19.35% and a net margin of 27.51%.The firm had revenue of $3.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.10 billion. Norfolk Southern has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Friday, August 1st were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 1st. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on NSC shares. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $255.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Susquehanna reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $260.00 target price (up from $250.00) on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $278.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $263.00 to $323.00 in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI reiterated an "in-line" rating and set a $289.00 price target (up previously from $279.00) on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern currently has an average 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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