CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Wells Fargo & Company Analyst Says

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) had its price objective lifted by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from $40.00 to $50.00 in a report released on Thursday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the transportation company’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 10.11% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price target on CSX from $42.50 to $45.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on CSX from $42.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $46.00 price target (up from $40.00) on shares of CSX in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $47.00 price target (up from $40.00) on shares of CSX in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on CSX from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Sixteen 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, CSX currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $45.26.

CSX Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:CSX opened at $45.41 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $84.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.25. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $41.43 and its 200-day moving average is $38.14. CSX has a 52-week low of $27.51 and a 52-week high of $46.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.97.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $3.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.50 billion. CSX had a return on equity of 24.47% and a net margin of 21.55%.The firm’s revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.34 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that CSX will post 1.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at CSX

In related news, CAO Diana B. Sorfleet sold 90,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.56, for a total value of $3,740,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 165,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,882,876.28. This trade represents a 35.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen Fortune sold 31,456 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president 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. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 188,123 shares of company stock worth $7,454,854. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CSX

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. FNY Investment Advisers LLC lifted its stake in CSX by 437.3% during the third quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 720 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 586 shares during the period. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in CSX during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. lifted its stake in CSX by 121.5% during the third quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 1,329 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 729 shares during the period. CrossGen Wealth LLC bought a new position in CSX during the fourth quarter worth about $54,000. Finally, Aventura Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in CSX during the fourth quarter worth about $63,000. Institutional investors own 73.57% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting CSX

Here are the key news stories impacting CSX this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS beat and upgraded outlook — CSX reported $0.43 GAAP EPS (above estimates), improved operating income and raised its 2026 revenue/growth guidance to mid‑single digits; management flagged higher volumes, lower operating costs and stronger free cash flow expectations, which supports upside for earnings and cash returns. CSX Q1 2026 Earnings Call Summary
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raise targets and ratings — Multiple firms (Jefferies, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, Raymond James, BofA, BMO, TD Cowen, Benchmark and others) lifted price targets/ratings after the print, signaling growing sell‑side confidence and supporting further upside. Analyst Price Target Moves
• Positive Sentiment: Operational execution improving — Company commentary and reports highlight network expansion, record fuel efficiency and efficiency initiatives that drove margin expansion; that operational progress underpins a multi‑year earnings upside thesis. Q1 Deep Dive: Efficiency Initiatives
• Neutral Sentiment: One‑time items and revenue mix — Q1 included gains from real‑estate sales that helped EPS and revenue growth was modest (mixed with a slight top‑line miss), so some of the beat reflects non‑recurring items and cost reductions rather than pure demand strength. CSX Q1 Results Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Options and insider flows — Unusually large call buying (22,656 calls) signals speculative bullish positioning; insider activity is mixed (some sales but a CEO purchase), so flows are ambiguous for signaling broad conviction. (See trading summaries in media coverage.)
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns and a downgrade — Morgan Stanley warned the turnaround appears largely priced in and cut its recommendation/target (citing stretched valuation), and some analysts caution about price risk after a strong YTD run; that has prompted profit‑taking and more cautious positioning. Morgan Stanley Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed analyst views on sustainability of gains — Several commentaries note the revenue beat was small and question how much of margin improvement is repeatable if volumes soften; that introduces near‑term execution risk and volatility. Analysts Mixed on Q1

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.