CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) Price Target Raised to $46.00

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) had its price target raised by Wolfe Research from $44.00 to $46.00 in a report released on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. Wolfe Research currently has an outperform rating on the transportation company’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on CSX from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Susquehanna reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $39.00 price objective on shares of CSX in a report on Friday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on CSX from $41.00 to $40.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on CSX from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price objective on CSX from $42.50 to $45.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, CSX currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $41.44.

CSX Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CSX opened at $42.49 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $79.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. CSX has a 1-year low of $27.00 and a 1-year high of $43.35. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $40.69 and its 200 day moving average is $37.49.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $3.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.59 billion. CSX had a net margin of 20.50% and a return on equity of 23.88%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.42 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that CSX will post 1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CSX Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th were paid a $0.14 dividend. This is an increase from CSX’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. CSX’s payout ratio is presently 36.36%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Stephen F. Angel purchased 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $40.27 per share, with a total value of $1,006,750.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 146,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,901,165.80. This trade represents a 20.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephen Fortune sold 31,456 shares of CSX stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.65, for a total value of $1,215,774.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 82,034 shares in the company, valued at $3,170,614.10. This trade represents a 27.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 188,123 shares of company stock valued at $7,454,854 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CSX

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC increased its position in CSX by 81.9% during the third quarter. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC now owns 944,946 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $33,555,000 after acquiring an additional 425,395 shares during the last quarter. Pinebridge Investments LLC purchased a new stake in CSX in the fourth quarter worth about $5,979,000. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in CSX in the third quarter worth about $5,326,000. Cohen & Steers Inc. increased its position in CSX by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 8,282,107 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $300,226,000 after buying an additional 98,977 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allstate Corp increased its position in CSX by 105.7% in the fourth quarter. Allstate Corp now owns 136,869 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,962,000 after buying an additional 70,326 shares in the last quarter. 73.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting CSX

Here are the key news stories impacting CSX this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Broker bullishness — Wolfe Research raised its price target to $46 and other firms (JPMorgan, Stephens) publicly flagged upside potential, supporting the stock’s move higher. Wolfe Research Increases CSX Price Target to $46.00 JPMorgan Says Stock Expected to Rise Stephens Analyst Bullish on CSX
• Positive Sentiment: Operational/expansion news — CSX’s expansion of the Lordstown automotive yard is reportedly back on track, which could boost carload volumes and revenue from automotive customers over time. CSX’s Expansion of Lordstown Automotive Yard Back on Track
• Positive Sentiment: Insider buying — reported large insider accumulation (one insider increased holdings materially), which investors often view as a confidence signal in the company’s outlook. This CSX Insider Increased Their Holding By 1,701% Last Year
• Neutral Sentiment: Market context — commentary noted CSX stock rose but still has underperformed the broader market recently, suggesting room for catch-up but also signaling investor caution. MarketWatch: CSX Rises but Underperforms Market
• Neutral Sentiment: Unrelated publicity — a high-profile auction story involves a Carroll Shelby–owned 1989 “CSX-VNT” prototype (automotive nomenclature overlaps the ticker), but this is unrelated to CSX the railroad and unlikely to affect the stock. Carroll Shelby-owned 1989 CSX-VNT Prototype Leads Auction
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrade — Citigroup lowered CSX’s rating, which can pressure sentiment and limit upside even amid other bullish analyst moves. Citigroup Downgrades CSX CSX Stock Rating Lowered by Citigroup
• Negative Sentiment: Options activity — an unusual surge in put buying (about 14,920 puts, ~111% above average) signals some traders are hedging or speculating on downside, which can increase short-term volatility and weigh on price momentum. (No article link available)

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.