Stifel Nicolaus Increases CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) Price Target to $39.00

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) had its price objective lifted by analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $37.00 to $39.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the transportation company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ target price suggests a potential upside of 10.36% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of CSX from $40.00 to $39.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 21st. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $34.00 price objective on shares of CSX in a report on Thursday, January 25th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of CSX from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of CSX from $32.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, Benchmark boosted their price objective on shares of CSX from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $37.28.

CSX Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CSX opened at $35.34 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $37.11 and a 200 day moving average of $34.23. The stock has a market cap of $69.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.18. CSX has a 12 month low of $29.03 and a 12 month high of $40.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 23rd. The transportation company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.01. CSX had a net margin of 25.35% and a return on equity of 30.52%. The company had revenue of $3.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.63 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.49 earnings per share. CSX’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that CSX will post 1.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CSX. West Tower Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CSX in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CSX in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CSX in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Life Planning Partners Inc purchased a new stake in shares of CSX in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Financial Synergies Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of CSX in the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. 73.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About CSX

CSX Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides rail-based freight transportation services. The company offers rail services; and transportation of intermodal containers and trailers, as well as other transportation services, such as rail-to-truck transfers and bulk commodity operations. It also transports chemicals, agricultural and food products, minerals, automotive, forest products, fertilizers, and metals and equipment; and coal, coke, and iron ore to electricity-generating power plants, steel manufacturers, and industrial plants, as well as exports coal to deep-water port facilities.