CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-six research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eighteen have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $38.8750.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on CSX. Robert W. Baird set a $40.00 price objective on shares of CSX and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Morgan Stanley set a $30.00 price target on shares of CSX and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on CSX from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $40.00 price objective on shares of CSX in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Stephens lifted their target price on CSX from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 6th.

Insider Activity at CSX

In other CSX news, SVP Michael S. Burns sold 24,249 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.76, for a total transaction of $891,393.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 51,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,898,286.40. This trade represents a 31.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kevin S. Boone sold 31,053 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.09, for a total transaction of $1,120,702.77. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 197,521 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,128,532.89. This represents a 13.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CSX

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CSX. FNY Investment Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CSX by 437.3% in the third quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 720 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 586 shares during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new stake in CSX in the third quarter worth about $67,000. Kozak & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in CSX by 49.8% in the 3rd quarter. Kozak & Associates Inc. now owns 16,022 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $545,000 after acquiring an additional 5,326 shares during the last quarter. Horizon Investments LLC lifted its holdings in CSX by 22.5% in the 3rd quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 148,355 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $5,268,000 after acquiring an additional 27,280 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Olde Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of CSX during the 3rd quarter valued at about $431,000. 73.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CSX Price Performance

CSX opened at $36.27 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $67.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.71, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a 50-day moving average of $35.77 and a 200-day moving average of $34.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.85. CSX has a 1-year low of $26.22 and a 1-year high of $37.54.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 16th. The transportation company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $3.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.60 billion. CSX had a net margin of 20.55% and a return on equity of 24.95%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.45 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that CSX will post 1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CSX Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 28th were paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 28th. CSX’s payout ratio is currently 33.99%.

CSX Company Profile

CSX Corporation is a leading North American transportation company that provides rail-based freight services and supply-chain solutions. Its operating subsidiary, CSX Transportation, moves a wide range of goods for customers across multiple industries, using a combination of long-haul rail service, intermodal operations and terminal and yard services. The company focuses on delivering efficient, reliable freight transportation between major production centers, consumption markets and port gateways.

CSX’s freight portfolio includes intermodal containers and trailers, bulk commodities, industrial products and specialized unit trains.