CSX Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:CSX)

CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Traders bought 24,554 call options on the company. This is an increase of 165% compared to the average volume of 9,266 call options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CSX

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CSX. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of CSX during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of CSX during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of CSX during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of CSX during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of CSX during the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors own 73.57% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Argus set a $32.00 target price on CSX in a report on Friday, April 25th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of CSX from $36.00 to $35.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Susquehanna restated a "neutral" rating and set a $35.00 target price on shares of CSX in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of CSX from $36.00 to $34.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of CSX from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $34.64.

CSX Stock Up 1.7%

CSX stock traded up $0.56 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $34.10. The company's stock had a trading volume of 27,259,122 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,377,261. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The company has a market capitalization of $64.06 billion, a PE ratio of 20.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.23. CSX has a 12 month low of $26.22 and a 12 month high of $37.10. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $31.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $31.10.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The transportation company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.39 by ($0.05). CSX had a net margin of 22.66% and a return on equity of 26.42%. The company had revenue of $3.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.53 billion. On average, equities research analysts expect that CSX will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current year.

CSX Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th were paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 30th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.52%. CSX's payout ratio is 31.14%.

About CSX

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.