United Services Automobile Association Invests $1.21 Million in Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Key Points

• United Services Automobile Association has purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern Corporation, acquiring 5,248 shares valued at approximately $1.21 million in the first quarter.
• Major institutional investors like Price T Rowe Associates and GAMMA Investing LLC significantly increased their holdings in Norfolk Southern, with GAMMA's position growing by over 25,000%.
• Analysts have mixed views on the stock, with Barclays lifting the target price to $300, while Benchmark downgraded it from "buy" to "hold"; the consensus rating currently stands at "Hold".

United Services Automobile Association purchased a new position in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 5,248 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $1,210,000.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NSC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada cut shares of Norfolk Southern from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $288.00 price objective (up from $282.00) on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI reissued an "in-line" rating and issued a $289.00 price objective (up from $279.00) on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $285.15.

Norfolk Southern Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock traded up $0.90 during trading on Friday, hitting $274.90. The stock had a trading volume of 2,243,787 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,611,642. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 12 month low of $201.63 and a 12 month high of $291.69. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $275.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $250.09. The stock has a market cap of $61.75 billion, a PE ratio of 18.57, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm 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. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 1st were paid a $1.35 dividend. 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 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.