CSX Co. (NASDAQ:CSX) Short Interest Down 5.3% in January

CSX Co. (NASDAQ:CSX - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 29,430,000 shares, a drop of 5.3% from the January 15th total of 31,080,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 12,830,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.3 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on CSX. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of CSX from $39.00 to $38.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of CSX from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Susquehanna reduced their target price on shares of CSX from $40.00 to $39.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $38.00 target price on shares of CSX in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $37.00 target price (down from $38.00) on shares of CSX in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CSX currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $37.16.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of CSX. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of CSX in the 4th quarter valued at $780,194,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in CSX by 89.7% in the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 20,856,567 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $673,025,000 after purchasing an additional 9,863,587 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in CSX by 40.5% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 23,350,087 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $753,507,000 after purchasing an additional 6,730,316 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp raised its position in CSX by 471.9% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 6,748,661 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $217,808,000 after purchasing an additional 5,568,624 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fiduciary Management Inc. WI purchased a new stake in CSX in the 4th quarter valued at $178,259,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.57% of the company's stock.

CSX Stock Down 0.5 %

NASDAQ CSX traded down $0.16 on Friday, hitting $32.30. 21,389,922 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 14,297,925. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. CSX has a fifty-two week low of $31.43 and a fifty-two week high of $40.12. The company has a market cap of $62.29 billion, a PE ratio of 18.04, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $32.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $33.77.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The transportation company reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.44 by ($0.02). CSX had a net margin of 23.95% and a return on equity of 28.15%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that CSX will post 1.83 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.13 dividend. This is a boost from CSX's previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.61%. CSX's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.82%.

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.