CSX Co. (NASDAQ:CSX) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

CSX Co. (NASDAQ:CSX) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $38.78.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on CSX from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Stephens decreased their price objective on CSX from $41.00 to $39.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Citigroup lifted their target price on CSX from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of CSX from $35.00 to $34.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of CSX from $40.00 to $39.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 17th.

CSX Trading Down 0.1 %

CSX opened at $36.55 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $34.70 and its 200-day moving average is $34.02. CSX has a 52-week low of $31.72 and a 52-week high of $40.12.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The transportation company reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by ($0.02). CSX had a return on equity of 28.92% and a net margin of 24.77%. The company had revenue of $3.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.42 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that CSX will post 1.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CSX Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th will be paid a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. CSX’s payout ratio is 25.81%.

Institutional Trading of CSX

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CSX. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of CSX by 9.2% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,350,289 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $47,652,000 after purchasing an additional 113,530 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in CSX by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 194,760 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $6,725,000 after buying an additional 16,456 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its holdings in shares of CSX by 260.8% during the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 24,970 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $862,000 after buying an additional 18,049 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of CSX by 137.4% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 16,145 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $557,000 after acquiring an additional 9,344 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its position in CSX by 10.7% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 166,381 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $5,953,000 after acquiring an additional 16,073 shares during the period. 73.57% of the stock is currently 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.