Analysts Set CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX) PT at $45.98

Shares of CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-five brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $46.42.

Several research analysts have issued reports on CSX shares. New Street Research set a $49.00 target price on shares of CSX in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $46.00 target price (up from $44.00) on shares of CSX in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of CSX from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of CSX from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of CSX from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director John J. Zillmer sold 10,000 shares of CSX stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.45, for a total value of $464,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 353,714 shares in the company, valued at $16,430,015.30. The trade was a 2.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Kevin S. Boone sold 136,708 shares of CSX stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.70, for a total transaction of $6,384,263.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 208,622 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,742,647.40. This represents a 39.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of CSX

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in CSX. FNY Investment Advisers LLC grew its stake in shares of CSX by 437.3% in the third 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 bought a new stake in shares of CSX in the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in shares of CSX by 97.4% in the first quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 829 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 409 shares during the period. CrossGen Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of CSX in the fourth quarter worth approximately $54,000. Finally, Aventura Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of CSX in the fourth quarter worth approximately $63,000. 73.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CSX Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of CSX stock opened at $46.99 on Thursday. 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 has a market capitalization of $87.31 billion, a PE ratio of 28.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.22. CSX has a 52-week low of $31.80 and a 52-week high of $47.25. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $44.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $40.10.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $3.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.50 billion. CSX had a net margin of 21.55% and a return on equity of 24.47%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.34 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that CSX will post 1.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CSX Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be paid a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. CSX’s payout ratio is currently 34.36%.

CSX Company Profile

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.