CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• CSX has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from 25 analysts, with 16 buy ratings and 9 holds. The average 12-month price target is $45.34, and several firms recently raised their targets.
• The railroad reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $0.43 per share versus $0.39 expected, while revenue grew 1.7% year over year to $3.48 billion. Analysts now expect CSX to earn 1.89 EPS for the full fiscal year.
• CSX recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.14 per share from $0.13, implying an annualized yield of about 1.2%. The company also saw mixed insider activity, with the CEO buying shares and the CAO selling shares.

Shares of CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the twenty-five analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and sixteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $45.34.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on CSX shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of CSX from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on CSX from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on CSX from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on CSX from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Evercore raised their price target on CSX from $41.00 to $44.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd.

CSX Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CSX opened at $44.83 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $83.30 billion, a PE ratio of 27.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.24. CSX has a fifty-two week low of $28.66 and a fifty-two week high of $46.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.97. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $41.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $38.62.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.04. CSX had a net margin of 21.55% and a return on equity of 24.47%. The company had revenue of $3.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.50 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.34 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that CSX will post 1.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CSX Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th were given a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. This is a boost from CSX's previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. CSX's payout ratio is 34.36%.

CSX News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting CSX this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research lifted EPS estimates for CSX across several quarters and fiscal years, reinforcing a more favorable earnings outlook for the company.
• Positive Sentiment: CSX and CPKC launched an improved Southeast Mexico rail route, which could support long-term traffic growth and better network efficiency. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Chicago’s Clearing Yard is seeing increased dwell time after CSX changes at Barr Yard, an operational issue that investors may view as worth watching but not necessarily a major fundamental setback. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Higher dwell times at a key yard could indicate short-term congestion or service inefficiencies if the issue persists.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CSX news, CEO Stephen F. Angel acquired 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $40.27 per share, with a total value of $1,006,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 146,540 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,901,165.80. This trade represents a 20.57% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Diana B. Sorfleet sold 90,000 shares of CSX 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 165,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,882,876.28. This represents a 35.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CSX

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. FNY Investment Advisers LLC lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 586 shares during the period. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in shares of CSX in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in shares of CSX by 97.4% during the first quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 829 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. raised its stake in shares of CSX by 121.5% during the third 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 last quarter. Finally, CrossGen Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CSX during the fourth quarter worth $54,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.57% of the company's stock.

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.

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