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

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 4,100 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $962,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NSC. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Norfolk Southern by 3.6% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 255,200 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $63,417,000 after buying an additional 8,844 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,796,000. Grandview Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $918,000. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC grew its stake in Norfolk Southern by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 5,678 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,333,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. Finally, Clarendon Private LLC bought a new stake in Norfolk Southern in the fourth quarter worth approximately $309,000. 75.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on NSC. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Stephens raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $272.74.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 4.5 %

Norfolk Southern stock opened at $210.78 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.90. The stock has a market cap of $51.97 billion, a PE ratio of 18.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. Norfolk Southern Co. has a fifty-two week low of $206.71 and a fifty-two week high of $277.60. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $242.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $248.36.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Research analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.56%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 46.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norfolk Southern

In related news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere purchased 607 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were bought at an average price of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 2,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $646,271.82. This trade represents a 32.29 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

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.