Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd Invests $962,000 in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 4,100 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $962,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NSC. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 3.6% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 255,200 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $63,417,000 after acquiring an additional 8,844 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,694,573 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,098,472,000 after purchasing an additional 113,648 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $1,796,000. Grandview Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth about $918,000. Finally, Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC raised its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 5,678 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,333,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere acquired 607 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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Norfolk Southern Stock Up 0.2 %

NYSE:NSC traded up $0.46 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $215.92. The company had a trading volume of 418,699 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,242,417. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $237.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $246.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.61, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1 year low of $201.63 and a 1 year high of $277.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 21.63%. Equities analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern's payout ratio is 46.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on NSC. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $284.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Norfolk Southern in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $293.00 target price on the stock. Stephens lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $285.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $268.68.

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.