CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-five analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $39.7708.

Several research analysts have recently commented on CSX shares. Citigroup reduced their target price on CSX from $42.00 to $41.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of CSX in a report on Thursday. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of CSX from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price objective on shares of CSX from $39.00 to $42.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of CSX from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th.

CSX Stock Down 0.8%

CSX stock opened at $41.97 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The company’s 50-day moving average is $37.79 and its 200-day moving average is $35.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.05 billion, a PE ratio of 27.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.30. CSX has a fifty-two week low of $26.22 and a fifty-two week high of $42.52.

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

Insider Activity at CSX

In other CSX news, EVP Stephen Fortune sold 31,456 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 82,034 shares in the company, valued at $3,170,614.10. This trade represents a 27.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Diana B. Sorfleet sold 90,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.56, for a total value of $3,740,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 165,613 shares in the company, valued at $6,882,876.28. The trade was a 35.21% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 188,123 shares of company stock valued at $7,454,854 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CSX

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in CSX during the second quarter worth $25,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of CSX by 437.3% during the 3rd quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 720 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 586 shares in the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new stake in shares of CSX during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. boosted its stake in CSX by 121.5% in the third quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 1,329 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 729 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CrossGen Wealth LLC bought a new position in CSX in the fourth quarter valued at about $54,000. 73.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.