Securian Asset Management Inc. Sells 3,584 Shares of CSX Co. (NASDAQ:CSX)

Securian Asset Management Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of CSX Co. (NASDAQ:CSX) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 103,644 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 3,584 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in CSX were worth $3,345,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Diversified Trust Co boosted its position in shares of CSX by 180.7% in the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 72,197 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,330,000 after purchasing an additional 46,473 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in CSX during the fourth quarter valued at $1,084,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in CSX by 0.7% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 3,374,499 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $116,521,000 after buying an additional 24,430 shares during the last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel boosted its holdings in CSX by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 612,051 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $19,751,000 after acquiring an additional 8,474 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of CSX by 6.8% in the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 653,025 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $22,549,000 after acquiring an additional 41,547 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.57% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $37.00 price target (down previously from $38.00) on shares of CSX in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $38.00 price target on shares of CSX in a report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of CSX from $36.00 to $34.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup cut their target price on CSX from $40.00 to $39.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on CSX from $34.00 to $33.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $37.00.

CSX Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CSX opened at $29.55 on Thursday. CSX Co. has a 12-month low of $29.29 and a 12-month high of $38.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $32.34 and a 200 day moving average of $33.55.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) last issued 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that CSX Co. will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current year.

CSX Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.76%. This is an increase from CSX’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. CSX’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.05%.

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.