CSX Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:CSX)

CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX) saw unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Traders bought 22,656 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 185% compared to the average volume of 7,960 call options.

CSX News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting CSX this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings beat and margin improvement — CSX reported Q1 net income of $807M, $0.43 diluted EPS (above consensus) with operating income of $1.25B; management cited higher volumes, lower operating costs and a real-estate gain that boosted results. GlobeNewswire — Q1 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised 2026 revenue-growth guidance to mid-single digits — the firmer outlook signals improving demand/pricing, which helped lift sentiment after the print. Seeking Alpha — Guidance Move
• Positive Sentiment: Large cluster of analyst price-target raises and buy/overweight reiterations — notable raises include Jefferies to $52, Wells Fargo to $50, JPMorgan to $48 and multiple other firms increasing targets, reinforcing buy-side momentum. Benzinga — Analyst Reactions
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue slightly missed expectations — Q1 revenue was $3.48B (up 1.7% y/y) and a touch below some estimates, tempering the beat on EPS. Investors are weighing profit quality (cost cuts) vs. topline softness. Yahoo Finance — Q1 Overview
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed insider and institutional flows — CEO purchased shares (small amount) while other insiders sold; institutional position changes noted in filings — useful context but not an immediate directional catalyst. Quiver Quantitative — Insider & Institutional Activity
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts remain cautious or set lower targets — a few firms (Evercore, BMO, TD Cowen in recent notes) left targets at or below the current price, highlighting price risk if top-line momentum fades. MarketScreener — Analyst Notes

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CSX news, CEO Stephen F. Angel bought 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $40.27 per share, with a total value of $1,006,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer 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 position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Diana B. Sorfleet sold 90,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.56, for a total transaction of $3,740,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 165,613 shares in the company, valued at $6,882,876.28. This trade represents a 35.21% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 188,123 shares of company stock valued at $7,454,854 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of CSX

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CSX. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC acquired a new stake in CSX in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,199,000. Rathbones Group PLC boosted its stake in CSX by 20.6% in the 3rd quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 207,454 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $7,367,000 after purchasing an additional 35,403 shares in the last quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan boosted its stake in CSX by 131.0% in the 3rd quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 71,918 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,577,000 after purchasing an additional 40,780 shares in the last quarter. Allstate Corp acquired a new stake in CSX in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,363,000. Finally, Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC boosted its stake in CSX by 81.9% in the 3rd quarter. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC now owns 944,946 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $33,555,000 after purchasing an additional 425,395 shares in the last quarter. 73.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CSX Stock Up 6.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:CSX traded up $3.00 during trading on Thursday, reaching $46.18. The stock had a trading volume of 12,878,720 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,527,650. CSX has a one year low of $27.18 and a one year high of $46.29. The company has a market capitalization of $85.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.99, a PEG ratio of 2.42 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. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $41.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.02.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.04. CSX had a net margin of 20.50% and a return on equity of 23.88%. The business had revenue of $3.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.50 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.34 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that CSX will post 1.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CSX Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th were issued a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. This is an increase from CSX’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. CSX’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.36%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $46.00 target price (up from $44.00) on shares of CSX in a research report on Thursday. New Street Research set a $49.00 target price on shares of CSX in a research report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $41.00 target price (up from $37.00) on shares of CSX in a research report on Thursday. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their target price on shares of CSX from $42.50 to $45.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on shares of CSX from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $45.10.

About CSX

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.