Ausbil Investment Management Ltd Buys Shares of 19,939 Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Ausbil Investment Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 19,939 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $4,703,000. Norfolk Southern accounts for about 2.8% of Ausbil Investment Management Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest position.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth $25,000. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth $30,000. Coastline Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth $32,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the third quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 54.4% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 193 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of Norfolk Southern stock traded down $0.43 on Wednesday, reaching $252.49. The stock had a trading volume of 310,708 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,233,127. The business's 50-day moving average price is $247.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $249.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.90. Norfolk Southern Co. has a fifty-two week low of $206.71 and a fifty-two week high of $277.60. The stock has a market cap of $57.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.35.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13.07 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Norfolk Southern news, Director Sameh Fahmy purchased 350 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $249.37 per share, with a total value of $87,279.50. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 10,350 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,580,979.50. This represents a 3.50 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere purchased 607 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NSC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Loop Capital cut shares of Norfolk Southern from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $289.00 to $256.00 in a report on Monday. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $289.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and set a $285.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Stephens raised their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. One investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $276.11.

About Norfolk Southern

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.