Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of CSX Put Options (NASDAQ:CSX)

CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX) saw some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Traders bought 14,920 put options on the stock. This is an increase of 111% compared to the typical daily volume of 7,060 put options.

Insider Buying and Selling at CSX

In other CSX news, CEO Stephen F. Angel purchased 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $40.27 per share, with a total value of $1,006,750.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 146,540 shares in the company, valued at $5,901,165.80. This trade represents a 20.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Diana B. Sorfleet sold 90,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.56, for a total transaction of $3,740,400.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 165,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,882,876.28. The trade was a 35.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 188,123 shares of company stock valued at $7,454,854. 0.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC acquired a new stake in CSX in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,199,000. Rathbones Group PLC raised its holdings in CSX by 20.6% in the 3rd quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 207,454 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $7,367,000 after acquiring an additional 35,403 shares during the last quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan raised its holdings 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 valued at $2,577,000 after acquiring an additional 40,780 shares during the last quarter. Allstate Corp acquired a new stake in CSX in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,363,000. Finally, Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC raised its holdings 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 valued at $33,555,000 after acquiring an additional 425,395 shares during the last quarter. 73.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CSX Price Performance

CSX stock traded up $0.20 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $42.34. The company had a trading volume of 3,852,585 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,823,981. The company has a market capitalization of $78.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.25. CSX has a 12-month low of $27.00 and a 12-month high of $43.35. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $40.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $37.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.69.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $3.51 billion during 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 company’s quarterly revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.42 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that CSX will post 1.83 EPS for the current year.

CSX Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th were paid a $0.14 dividend. 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%. This is a boost from CSX’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. CSX’s dividend payout ratio is 36.36%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on CSX shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of CSX from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of CSX from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of CSX from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of CSX in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of CSX from $42.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $41.44.

Trending Headlines about CSX

Here are the key news stories impacting CSX this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several brokerages published bullish commentary or higher targets, supporting upside momentum — Wolfe Research raised its price target to $46, JPMorgan flagged upside, and Stephens reiterated expectations for higher share performance. Wolfe Research Increases CSX Price Target to $46.00 JPMorgan: CSX Stock Price Expected to Rise Stephens: CSX Stock Price Expected to Rise
• Positive Sentiment: CSX’s Lordstown automotive-yard expansion is reported “back on track” / moving forward, a constructive operational development for auto-related freight volumes and future revenue. CSX’s Expansion of Lordstown Automotive Yard Back on Track CSX Goes Full Steam Ahead on Lordstown Expansion Project
• Positive Sentiment: Insider activity shows net buying over the past year with at least one insider increasing holdings dramatically, which investors often view as a confidence signal from management. This CSX Insider Increased Their Holding By 1,701% Last Year
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary noted CSX stock rose on Wednesday but still underperformed the broader market — a mixed short-term signal suggesting limited follow-through despite positive headlines. CSX Corp. stock rises Wednesday, still underperforms market
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual options activity: traders bought roughly 14,920 put contracts (about 111% above typical daily put volume). Heavy put buying can indicate short-term bearish bets or hedging pressure that may weigh on near-term sentiment and volatility.
• Negative Sentiment: Citigroup downgraded CSX / lowered its rating, a headwind for sentiment as notable sell-side downgrades can prompt re-evaluation by institutional holders and increase selling pressure. Citigroup Downgrades CSX CSX Stock Rating Lowered by Citigroup

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.