Verdence Capital Advisors LLC Has $4.07 Million Position in Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC cut its holdings in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 55.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,880 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 19,586 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $4,065,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in NSC. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 129.2% during the 1st quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 149 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the period. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 1st quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 883.3% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 177 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NSC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Benchmark downgraded Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Baird R W raised Norfolk Southern to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. Citigroup increased their price target on Norfolk Southern from $288.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded Norfolk Southern from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $263.00 to $323.00 in a report on Monday, July 21st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $293.25.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 2.2%

NYSE NSC opened at $288.34 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.48, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.33. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $284.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $258.21. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 12 month low of $201.63 and a 12 month high of $302.24.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.10 billion. Norfolk Southern has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Corporation will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Friday, August 1st were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 1st. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.