CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) Stock Rating Reaffirmed by Benchmark

Benchmark reissued their buy rating on shares of CSX (NASDAQ:CSX - Free Report) in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $40.00 price objective on the transportation company's stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of CSX from $40.00 to $38.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. StockNews.com lowered shares of CSX from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a sector perform rating and issued a $34.00 price target on shares of CSX in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Raymond James increased their price target on shares of CSX from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of CSX from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $37.72.

CSX Stock Performance

CSX traded up $0.23 on Thursday, hitting $34.39. 25,706,975 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,106,769. The company has a 50 day moving average of $36.93 and a 200-day moving average of $34.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.32 billion, a PE ratio of 18.69, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.18. CSX has a 12-month low of $29.03 and a 12-month high of $40.12.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 17th. The transportation company reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.01. CSX had a net margin of 25.35% and a return on equity of 30.52%. The company had revenue of $3.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.66 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.48 EPS. The business's revenue was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that CSX will post 1.97 earnings per share for the current year.

CSX Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th were issued a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.40%. This is a positive change from CSX's previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. CSX's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.09%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bornite Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of CSX in the 1st quarter valued at about $14,980,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of CSX by 6.0% during the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 6,158,544 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $230,637,000 after buying an additional 347,514 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL raised its position in shares of CSX by 12.7% during the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 122,334 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $4,581,000 after buying an additional 13,829 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in shares of CSX by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 195,872 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $7,361,000 after purchasing an additional 8,488 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers grew its stake in shares of CSX by 16.8% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 71,521 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,678,000 after purchasing an additional 10,276 shares during the last quarter. 73.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.