CSX Co. (NASDAQ:CSX) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of CSX Co. (NASDAQ:CSX) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $39.19.

Several research firms have commented on CSX. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of CSX from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Citigroup initiated coverage on CSX in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $42.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on CSX from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $42.00 target price on shares of CSX in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Bank of America downgraded shares of CSX from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $37.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, July 8th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CSX

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Taylor Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in CSX in the fourth quarter valued at $851,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. acquired a new stake in CSX during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Sunpointe LLC purchased a new position in shares of CSX in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $402,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of CSX by 50.2% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 28,785 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $998,000 after purchasing an additional 9,624 shares during the period. Finally, Chelsea Counsel Co. purchased a new stake in shares of CSX during the fourth quarter worth approximately $142,000. 73.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CSX Stock Performance

Shares of CSX stock opened at $35.47 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The business has a 50-day moving average of $34.05 and a 200 day moving average of $33.99. CSX has a 12 month low of $29.03 and a 12 month high of $40.12.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 5th. The transportation company reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.01. CSX had a net margin of 24.52% and a return on equity of 29.11%. The business had revenue of $3.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.49 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that CSX will post 1.93 earnings per share for the current year.

CSX Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.35%. CSX’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.37%.

CSX Company Profile

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.