AE Wealth Management LLC Buys 4,238 Shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

AE Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 66.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,632 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 4,238 shares during the quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $3,194,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 2nd quarter worth about $613,255,000. Holocene Advisors LP lifted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 550.6% in the second quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 983,366 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $251,712,000 after purchasing an additional 832,210 shares during the last quarter. TOMS Capital Investment Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the second quarter valued at approximately $181,995,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 93.1% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 952,544 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $286,154,000 after buying an additional 459,166 shares during the period. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 25,497.0% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 428,750 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $109,747,000 after buying an additional 427,075 shares during the last quarter. 75.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Anil Bhatt sold 900 shares of the company’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 directly owned 1,413 shares in the company, valued at $397,900.80. This represents a 38.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Sameh Fahmy acquired 1,650 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $282.97 per share, for a total transaction of $466,900.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 12,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,395,640. This represents a 15.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on NSC shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $354.00 to $297.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Norfolk Southern from $293.00 to $288.00 in a research note on Friday. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $317.00 to $300.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $347.00 to $333.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $304.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $303.32.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.4%

NYSE:NSC opened at $291.40 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 1-year low of $201.63 and a 1-year high of $302.24. The company has a 50-day moving average of $290.40 and a 200 day moving average of $285.85. The firm has a market cap of $65.39 billion, a PE ratio of 22.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 1.33.

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

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Norfolk Southern’s payout ratio is 41.19%.

Norfolk Southern News Summary

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.

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.