Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of CSX Call Options (NASDAQ:CSX)

CSX Co. (NASDAQ:CSX - Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock traders acquired 47,307 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 850% compared to the typical daily volume of 4,980 call options.

CSX Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CSX traded up $0.18 during trading on Friday, hitting $30.82. The company had a trading volume of 21,148,953 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,943,997. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $28.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $31.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 0.86. CSX has a 12 month low of $26.22 and a 12 month high of $37.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.22.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 16th. The transportation company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.39 by ($0.05). CSX had a return on equity of 28.15% and a net margin of 23.95%. The company had revenue of $3.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.53 billion. As a group, analysts anticipate that CSX will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current year.

CSX Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. CSX's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on CSX shares. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $38.00 target price on shares of CSX in a report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on CSX from $31.00 to $28.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of CSX from $39.00 to $36.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of CSX from $35.00 to $33.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Loop Capital lowered shares of CSX from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $40.00 to $34.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $33.90.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CSX. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of CSX in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Rossby Financial LCC purchased a new stake in shares of CSX during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CSX during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CSX during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CSX during the first quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors own 73.57% of the company's stock.

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.