118,233 Shares in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Bought by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 118,233 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $27,749,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.05% of Norfolk Southern at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 worth $1,098,472,000 after acquiring an additional 113,648 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,796,000. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC lifted its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 5,678 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,333,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the period. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,703,000. Finally, Hoge Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $238,000. Institutional investors own 75.10% of the company's stock.

Norfolk Southern Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of NYSE NSC traded down $4.59 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $242.54. The stock had a trading volume of 305,503 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,217,413. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $228.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $240.92. The firm has a market cap of $54.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.98, 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 $201.63 and a fifty-two week high of $277.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.72 by ($0.03). Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. The firm had revenue of $2.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.49 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.23%. Norfolk Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.89%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $260.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Susquehanna cut their target price on Norfolk Southern from $260.00 to $250.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group raised their target price on Norfolk Southern from $275.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Loop Capital downgraded Norfolk Southern from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Norfolk Southern from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $267.24.

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.