Raymond James Financial Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) Stock

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) had its price target lifted by Raymond James Financial from $45.00 to $49.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the transportation company’s stock. Raymond James Financial’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 7.91% from the stock’s current price.

CSX has been the subject of a number of other reports. Wolfe Research increased their price target on CSX from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $46.00 price target (up from $44.00) on shares of CSX in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on CSX from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Evercore increased their price target on CSX from $41.00 to $44.00 in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on CSX from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $45.26.

CSX Stock Performance

Shares of CSX stock opened at $45.41 on Thursday. CSX has a 12-month low of $27.51 and a 12-month high of $46.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $84.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.25. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $41.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $38.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.69.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at CSX

In other news, EVP Stephen Fortune sold 31,456 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,170,614.10. This represents a 27.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Stephen F. Angel acquired 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The shares were bought 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 directly owned 146,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,901,165.80. The trade was a 20.57% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 188,123 shares of company stock valued at $7,454,854. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CSX

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CSX. FNY Investment Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of CSX by 437.3% during the 3rd quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 720 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 586 shares during the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CSX during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. lifted its position in shares of CSX by 121.5% during the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 1,329 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 729 shares during the last quarter. CrossGen Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CSX during the 4th quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, Aventura Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CSX during the 4th quarter valued at $63,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.57% of the company’s stock.

CSX News Roundup

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.