Royal Bank Of Canada Issues Positive Forecast for CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) Stock Price

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) had its price target hoisted by Royal Bank Of Canada from $39.00 to $43.00 in a research note published on Thursday morning,MarketScreener reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the transportation company’s stock.

CSX has been the subject of a number of other research reports. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of CSX in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Morgan Stanley set a $30.00 target price on shares of CSX and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Susquehanna reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $39.00 price objective on shares of CSX in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their target price on CSX from $39.00 to $42.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Wolfe Research upped their price target on shares of CSX from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $40.60.

CSX Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CSX opened at $39.55 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.68, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $39.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $36.89. CSX has a one year low of $26.22 and a one year high of $43.35.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by ($0.02). CSX had a net margin of 20.50% and a return on equity of 23.88%. The business had revenue of $3.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.42 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that CSX will post 1.83 EPS for the current year.

CSX Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th were given a dividend of $0.14 per share. This is a positive change from CSX’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. CSX’s payout ratio is presently 36.36%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CSX news, CAO Diana B. Sorfleet sold 90,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.56, for a total transaction of $3,740,400.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 165,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,882,876.28. This represents a 35.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen Fortune sold 31,456 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.65, for a total transaction of $1,215,774.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 82,034 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,170,614.10. This trade represents a 27.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 188,123 shares of company stock valued at $7,454,854. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CSX

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of CSX by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 16,254 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $525,000 after purchasing an additional 849 shares during the period. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in CSX in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of CSX in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $807,000. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S lifted its stake in CSX by 3.2% during the second quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 74,410 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,428,000 after purchasing an additional 2,281 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new stake in shares of CSX during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. 73.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting CSX

Here are the key news stories impacting CSX this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target to $43 and kept an “Outperform” rating, signaling analyst confidence and implying upside from current levels. RBC Raises Price Target on CSX to $43
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call-option activity: investors bought ~21,889 CSX call contracts (about a 225% jump vs. average), which indicates short-term bullish positioning or hedging by sophisticated traders and can add upward pressure if positions are delta-hedged.
• Neutral Sentiment: Preview of Q1 results: Analysts’ Q1 expectations and management commentary will be the focus at the next report — Barchart’s preview highlights where analysts are watching revenue, pricing, and volumes. Investors may trade on any surprise to guidance or execution. What to Expect From CSX Corporation’s Next Quarterly Earnings Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation/technical note: Recent coverage flags short-term price weakness (month-to-month decline) but solid YTD and 1‑year total returns; valuations and DCF analyses are being debated, so some investors may be re-evaluating target returns. A Look At CSX Valuation
• Neutral Sentiment: Local industry developments: A transload provider is restarting dormant Maine rail lines, which is a modest regional tailwind for freight activity but unlikely to move CSX materially near-term. Transload Provider Bringing New Life to Dormant Maine Rail Lines
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/sector caution: A recent piece flags some Industrials names for closer scrutiny; sector sentiment can amplify CSX moves but the impact depends on macro freight demand. 3 Industrials Stocks We Think Twice About
• Negative Sentiment: Evercore ISI downgraded CSX from Outperform to In Line (while nudging its target to $41), a ratings change that can reduce buy-side conviction even though the price target moved slightly higher — this is a headwind for sentiment. Evercore ISI Downgrades CSX to In Line

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.