CSX Co. (NASDAQ:CSX) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

CSX Co. (NASDAQ:CSX) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $37.16.

CSX has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of CSX from $40.00 to $39.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $38.00 price target on shares of CSX in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of CSX from $34.00 to $33.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of CSX from $40.00 to $38.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of CSX from $40.00 to $39.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th.

CSX Stock Performance

CSX opened at $33.64 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $32.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $33.79. CSX has a 1-year low of $31.43 and a 1-year high of $40.12. The company has a market cap of $64.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.79, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.23.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The transportation company reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.44 by ($0.02). CSX had a return on equity of 28.15% and a net margin of 23.95%. On average, analysts expect that CSX will post 1.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CSX Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. This is an increase from CSX’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.55%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. CSX’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.82%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CSX

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new stake in CSX in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,918,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of CSX during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Vise Technologies Inc. raised its stake in shares of CSX by 45.2% during the fourth quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 12,953 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $418,000 after acquiring an additional 4,030 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of CSX by 16.5% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC now owns 19,482 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $650,000 after acquiring an additional 2,763 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DCM Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of CSX by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. DCM Advisors LLC now owns 113,156 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,652,000 after acquiring an additional 5,949 shares in the last quarter. 73.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.