Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Forecast for CSX Earnings

CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX) – Analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for CSX in a research report issued on Thursday, October 30th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the transportation company will earn $0.51 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $0.49. The consensus estimate for CSX’s current full-year earnings is $1.83 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for CSX’s FY2026 earnings at $1.92 EPS and Q2 2027 earnings at $0.53 EPS.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 16th. The transportation company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $3.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.60 billion. CSX had a return on equity of 24.95% and a net margin of 20.55%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.45 earnings per share.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded CSX from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $37.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of CSX in a research note on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded CSX from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Bank of America dropped their price target on CSX from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $40.00 price target on CSX and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, CSX currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $39.09.

CSX Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CSX opened at $36.02 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.07 billion, a PE ratio of 23.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The business has a 50-day moving average of $34.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $33.04. CSX has a 12 month low of $26.22 and a 12 month high of $37.25.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CSX. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in CSX in the first quarter valued at about $182,550,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in CSX by 21.6% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 28,383,830 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $835,336,000 after buying an additional 5,033,743 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its holdings in CSX by 34.5% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 13,017,397 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $364,357,000 after buying an additional 3,341,136 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in CSX by 12.5% during the 1st quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 23,456,085 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $690,359,000 after buying an additional 2,599,518 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in CSX by 19.1% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 15,312,107 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $450,635,000 after buying an additional 2,454,895 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.57% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Kevin S. Boone sold 31,053 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.09, for a total value of $1,120,702.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 197,521 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,128,532.89. This represents a 13.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Michael S. Burns sold 24,249 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.76, for a total value of $891,393.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 51,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,898,286.40. This represents a 31.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

CSX Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 28th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 28th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. CSX’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.99%.

About CSX

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.