Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Boosts Position in Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 4.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 76,057 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,367 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $19,468,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the first quarter worth $27,000. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the first quarter worth $35,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 129.2% during the first quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 149 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the first quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 883.3% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 177 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 2.2%

Norfolk Southern stock opened at $288.34 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $284.20 and its 200-day moving average is $258.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.79. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 1 year low of $201.63 and a 1 year high of $302.24. The company has a market cap of $64.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.48, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.33.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 company 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. On average, equities analysts expect that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

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%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on NSC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Loop Capital increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $235.00 to $278.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. TD Cowen upgraded 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 note on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Benchmark downgraded shares of Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $293.25.

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.