AlphaQuest LLC Makes New Investment in Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

AlphaQuest LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 7,206 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $2,165,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. ORG Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 75.0% during the 3rd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 84 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. BNP Paribas purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in Norfolk Southern by 423.8% during the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 110 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Norfolk Southern by 68.9% during the third quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 103 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 58.5% during the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 130 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on NSC. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $321.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 24th. Barclays reduced their target price on Norfolk Southern from $340.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Benchmark reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Friday. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $303.53.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other Norfolk Southern news, EVP Anil Bhatt sold 900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.60, for a total transaction of $253,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $397,900.80. This trade represents a 38.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy bought 1,650 shares of Norfolk Southern stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $282.97 per share, for a total transaction of $466,900.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 12,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,395,640. This trade represents a 15.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Norfolk Southern

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

• Positive Sentiment: NSC reported quarterly EPS that beat consensus (reported $3.22 vs. ~ $2.76 expected), driven by pricing and cost control that lifted margins and helped results despite softer volumes. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Company highlighted sustained productivity improvements and over $215 million in annual savings for the full year, which supports cashflow and profitability going forward. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Operating-performance metrics beat some expectations (operating ratio ~68.5%), and management emphasized cost discipline as a buffer against a challenging macro backdrop. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript, slide deck and detailed presentation are available for investors who want forward guidance and segment-level color. These materials are useful for assessing whether productivity gains and pricing can continue. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Benzinga ran an “Expert Outlook” summarizing the views of eight analysts — useful for gauging consensus and differing assumptions on volumes, pricing and margin recovery. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue slightly missed expectations (reported ~$3.0B vs. ~$3.03B consensus), reflecting weaker volumes — a reminder that top-line risk remains if demand softens. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Two large firms trimmed price targets (JPMorgan: $301 → $296; Citigroup: $317 → $300) and keep neutral ratings, which caps near-term analyst-driven upside despite the beat. Read More.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

NYSE NSC opened at $291.40 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $290.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $285.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 1.33. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $201.63 and a fifty-two week high of $302.24.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.46. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 18.78% and a net margin of 23.59%.The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.04 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th will be paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 6th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 41.19%.

Norfolk Southern Company Profile

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.