Analysts Set CSX Co. (NASDAQ:CSX) PT at $36.24

Shares of CSX Co. (NASDAQ:CSX) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $36.88.

CSX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of CSX from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of CSX from $32.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $34.00 price objective on shares of CSX in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on CSX from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, StockNews.com cut CSX from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st.

CSX Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of CSX opened at $37.07 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $72.57 billion, a PE ratio of 20.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.18. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $36.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.91. CSX has a 12 month low of $29.03 and a 12 month high of $40.12.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 23rd. The transportation company reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.01. CSX had a net margin of 25.35% and a return on equity of 30.52%. The firm had revenue of $3.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.63 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.49 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that CSX will post 1.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CSX Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were issued a $0.12 dividend. This is an increase from CSX’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.29%. CSX’s payout ratio is presently 26.09%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CSX

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in CSX by 101,926.4% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 23,323,241 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $722,554,000 after purchasing an additional 23,300,381 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in CSX during the fourth quarter worth approximately $757,276,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in CSX by 18.1% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 64,807,961 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,246,893,000 after buying an additional 9,914,656 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of CSX by 558.0% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 6,800,925 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $203,620,000 after buying an additional 5,767,302 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors grew its stake in shares of CSX by 14.3% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 40,353,078 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,399,104,000 after acquiring an additional 5,041,679 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.