CSX Co. (NASDAQ:CSX) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Shares of CSX Co. (NASDAQ:CSX - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the nineteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $37.16.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $37.00 price objective (down previously from $38.00) on shares of CSX in a research note on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of CSX from $40.00 to $38.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of CSX from $40.00 to $38.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $38.00 price objective on shares of CSX in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of CSX from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $37.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CSX

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CSX. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CSX by 255.9% during the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 7,505 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $259,000 after acquiring an additional 5,396 shares during the period. Creative Planning boosted its holdings in shares of CSX by 2.2% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 634,696 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $21,916,000 after acquiring an additional 13,613 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of CSX by 8.3% during the third quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 7,323 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $252,000 after acquiring an additional 560 shares during the period. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of CSX by 33.7% during the third quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,253 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. boosted its holdings in shares of CSX by 2.5% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 45,141 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,559,000 after acquiring an additional 1,101 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.57% of the company's stock.

CSX Trading Up 0.8 %

NASDAQ CSX traded up $0.27 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $33.37. The company's stock had a trading volume of 10,739,899 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,562,859. CSX has a 52-week low of $31.43 and a 52-week high of $40.12. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $32.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $33.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.23.

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

CSX Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This is an increase from CSX's previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. CSX's payout ratio is currently 26.82%.

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.