CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.04 EPS

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.04, Zacks reports. The company had revenue of $3.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.50 billion. CSX had a net margin of 20.50% and a return on equity of 23.88%. CSX’s revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.34 earnings per share.

CSX Price Performance

CSX stock opened at $43.18 on Thursday. 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $41.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $38.02. CSX has a 12-month low of $27.18 and a 12-month high of $43.80. The stock has a market cap of $80.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.04, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.25.

CSX Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th were issued a $0.14 dividend. This is an increase from CSX’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. CSX’s payout ratio is currently 36.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CSX

In related news, CEO Stephen F. Angel bought 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $40.27 per share, for a total transaction of $1,006,750.00. Following the acquisition, 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 ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen Fortune sold 31,456 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.65, for a total transaction of $1,215,774.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 82,034 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,170,614.10. The trade was a 27.72% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 188,123 shares of company stock worth $7,454,854 in the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of CSX

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in CSX by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 423,312 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $15,345,000 after purchasing an additional 18,025 shares during the period. Pinebridge Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of CSX during the fourth quarter worth about $5,979,000. Horizon Investments LLC grew its position in shares of CSX by 22.5% during the third quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 148,355 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $5,268,000 after buying an additional 27,280 shares in the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors lifted its stake in CSX by 53.7% in the fourth quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 88,599 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,212,000 after acquiring an additional 30,947 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S increased its position in shares of CSX by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 74,410 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,428,000 after purchasing an additional 2,281 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.57% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting CSX

Here are the key news stories impacting CSX this week:

• Positive Sentiment: EPS and profit beat: CSX delivered diluted EPS of $0.43 (vs. ~$0.39 consensus) and reported a roughly 25% jump in net income year‑over‑year driven by lower operating costs and margin expansion. This drove the initial rally. AP: CSX delivers 25% jump in profit
• Positive Sentiment: Efficiency and volumes: Management cited efficiency gains and rising intermodal volumes (total units +3% y/y) that helped operating income rise to $1.25B and gross profit expand materially. These operational improvements underpin better margins and cash generation. Investing: Efficiency gains drive beat
• Positive Sentiment: Upgraded cash‑flow outlook: CSX raised its 2026 free cash flow outlook (anticipating >60% FCF growth) and moved revenue guidance to mid‑single digits — a clear positive for buybacks/debt paydown and long‑term value creation. Seeking Alpha: FCF growth outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue mixed: Revenue totaled $3.48B (+1.7% y/y) but missed some street estimates (~$3.50B), so growth is positive but modest; investors will watch whether mid‑single digit guidance materializes. GlobeNewswire: Q1 results
• Neutral Sentiment: Cash flow & capex mix: Operating cash flow rose strongly and capex was down y/y, improving free cash flow conversion — positive for capital allocation but investors will monitor reinvestment levels vs. long‑term growth. Yahoo / FreightWaves: cash flow and volumes
• Negative Sentiment: High expectations and valuation: CSX was trading near 52‑week highs heading into the print, so the bar was high; a revenue miss and modest top‑line growth leave the stock vulnerable to profit‑taking if future quarters don’t show sustained top‑line acceleration. Investing: earnings test near highs
• Negative Sentiment: Insider/ownership notes and analyst dispersion: Some large institutional repositioning and recent insider sales (reported by data providers) plus a wide range of analyst price targets indicate differing views on upside, adding near‑term uncertainty. QuiverQuant: institutional and insider activity

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on CSX. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on CSX from $41.00 to $40.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Argus upped their target price on CSX from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Citigroup downgraded shares of CSX from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $41.00 to $44.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on CSX from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Susquehanna reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $39.00 price target on shares of CSX in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.41.

CSX Company Profile

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.