First Bancorp Inc ME Cuts Stock Position in Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC

First Bancorp Inc ME lessened its holdings in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) by 8.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,988 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 180 shares during the period. First Bancorp Inc ME’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $509,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the first quarter valued at about $35,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew 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 valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the first quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew 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 valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE NSC opened at $289.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The company has a market cap of $65.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.59, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.33. Norfolk Southern Corporation has a 1 year low of $201.63 and a 1 year high of $302.24. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $285.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $259.93.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $3.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.10 billion. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 27.51% and a return on equity of 19.35%. Norfolk Southern has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 1st were paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 1st. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on NSC. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $290.00 to $354.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. TD Cowen upgraded Norfolk Southern from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $263.00 to $323.00 in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Barclays raised their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered Norfolk Southern from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $293.80.

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.