Jefferies Financial Group Issues Positive Forecast for CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) Stock Price

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) had its target price hoisted by Jefferies Financial Group from $42.00 to $50.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a buy rating on the transportation company’s stock.

CSX has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $36.00 price objective (down from $37.00) on shares of CSX in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of CSX in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of CSX in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of CSX from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Raymond James Financial lifted their target price on shares of CSX from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $40.10.

CSX Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ CSX opened at $42.66 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $38.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.19. The company has a market capitalization of $79.33 billion, a PE ratio of 27.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.27. CSX has a 12-month low of $26.22 and a 12-month high of $43.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.69.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.41 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $3.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 prior year, the firm earned $0.42 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that CSX will post 1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CSX Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. This is an increase from CSX’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. CSX’s payout ratio is 36.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CSX

In other CSX news, EVP Stephen Fortune sold 31,456 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was 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 approximately $3,170,614.10. The trade was a 27.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Diana B. Sorfleet sold 90,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.56, for a total value of $3,740,400.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 165,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,882,876.28. This represents a 35.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 188,123 shares of company stock valued at $7,454,854 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of CSX

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in CSX during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC raised its stake in shares of CSX by 437.3% in the 3rd quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 720 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 586 shares during the period. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in shares of CSX during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. boosted its position in CSX by 121.5% during the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 1,329 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 729 shares during the period. Finally, CrossGen Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in CSX in the 4th quarter valued at $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.57% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting CSX

Here are the key news stories impacting CSX this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target on CSX to $50 from $42 and kept a “buy” rating, citing upside versus the current price — a clear positive catalyst for investor sentiment and potential buying interest. Jefferies Adjusts Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights CSX’s shareholder-return actions (dividend hike and continued buybacks), which analysts frame as evidence of financial strength — a supportive factor for the stock over time. Zacks: Dividend Hike Yahoo: Dividend Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Media pieces note CSX’s outperformance versus the Nasdaq over the last year and continued analyst optimism, which can bolster investor confidence in near-term buying interest. Barchart: Outperforming Nasdaq
• Neutral Sentiment: Class I industry briefings (CPKC, NS, UP) mention sector developments that could affect freight dynamics; these are informational and not specific to CSX’s immediate fundamentals. Railway Age: Class I Briefs
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports flagged a “significant increase” in short interest but show zero shares and NaN changes — the data appears erroneous or incomplete, so it should not be treated as a meaningful short-interest signal. (Multiple feed entries reflect this data issue.)

About CSX

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.