Entropy Technologies LP Acquires New Holdings in Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 14,756 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $4,235,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 1st quarter worth approximately $3,272,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 43,408 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $12,533,000 after buying an additional 3,887 shares during the last quarter. GABELLI & Co INVESTMENT ADVISERS INC. grew its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 49.3% during the 4th quarter. GABELLI & Co INVESTMENT ADVISERS INC. now owns 50,620 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $14,615,000 after buying an additional 16,720 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 8.6% during the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 138,194 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $39,899,000 after buying an additional 10,910 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 54.4% in the fourth quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 51,112 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $14,757,000 after acquiring an additional 18,012 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

More Norfolk Southern News

Here are the key news stories impacting Norfolk Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Norfolk Southern beat Q2 expectations, posting $3.52 in EPS and revenue above estimates, with revenue up 12.5% year over year and record quarterly sales. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $385 and reiterated an overweight rating, signaling confidence that the stock still has room to run. Benzinga article
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup lifted its target to $376, reflecting a more constructive view after the earnings release, even though it kept a neutral rating. Benzinga article
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its target to $338 but maintained a neutral rating, suggesting valuation looks less compelling after the recent move higher. Benzinga article
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary noted lower profitability and margin pressure despite the revenue beat, which may temper enthusiasm if cost pressures persist. Seeking Alpha article
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability was held back by higher fuel costs and lower efficiency, showing that cost inflation remains a headwind even as demand improves. TipRanks article

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NSC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $351.00 to $376.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Evercore set a $358.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $337.00 to $376.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $344.35.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Norfolk Southern stock opened at $351.69 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.01, a PEG ratio of 6.41 and a beta of 1.27. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $317.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $306.16. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 52 week low of $268.23 and a 52 week high of $358.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.32 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $3.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.38 billion. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.21% and a net margin of 21.02%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.29 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 12.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.08%.

About Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Corporation is a major U.S. freight railroad company that provides rail transportation and related logistics services. As a Class I carrier, the company operates an extensive network across the eastern United States and offers scheduled freight service for a broad range of industries. Its core operations include long-haul and regional rail freight transportation, intermodal services that move containers and trailers between rail and other modes, and terminal and switching services that support efficient rail shipments for industrial and port customers.

The company transports a variety of commodities, serving sectors such as coal and energy, automotive and automotive parts, chemicals, agriculture, metals and construction materials, and consumer goods.