Bank of America Issues Positive Forecast for CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) Stock Price

Key Points

• Bank of America raised its CSX price target from $46 to $49 and kept a buy rating, implying roughly a 13.48% upside from the current price.
• CSX beat Q1 EPS estimates ($0.43 vs. $0.39), reported efficiency gains and margin expansion, and upgraded its 2026 outlook to >60% free‑cash‑flow growth with revenue guidance moving to mid‑single digits.
• Notable insider selling (about 188,123 shares in the last three months) and divergent analyst views (consensus target $42.77; 16 Buy vs. 9 Hold) add near‑term uncertainty despite heavy institutional ownership (~73.6%).

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX - Get Free Report) had its target price increased by investment analysts at Bank of America from $46.00 to $49.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "buy" rating on the transportation company's stock. Bank of America's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 13.48% from the company's current price.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $41.00 price target (up from $37.00) on shares of CSX in a research note on Thursday. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $45.00 price target on shares of CSX in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target 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. Vertical Research cut CSX from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $44.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Argus upped their price target on CSX from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $42.77.

CSX Price Performance

Shares of CSX stock opened at $43.18 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $80.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.04, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.25. The business's fifty day moving average is $41.23 and its 200 day moving average is $38.02. CSX has a twelve month low of $27.18 and a twelve month high of $43.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $3.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.50 billion. CSX had a return on equity of 23.88% and a net margin of 20.50%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.34 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that CSX will post 1.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CSX news, CAO Diana B. Sorfleet sold 90,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.56, for a total value of $3,740,400.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 165,613 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,882,876.28. The trade was a 35.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Stephen Fortune sold 31,456 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.65, for a total value of $1,215,774.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 82,034 shares in the company, valued at $3,170,614.10. This trade represents a 27.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 188,123 shares of company stock valued at $7,454,854. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CSX

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cohen & Steers Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of CSX by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 8,282,107 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $300,226,000 after purchasing an additional 98,977 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in shares of CSX by 0.3% during the third quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 3,450,199 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $122,516,000 after purchasing an additional 8,639 shares in the last quarter. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CSX by 81.9% during the third 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 purchasing an additional 425,395 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of CSX by 4.4% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Cohen Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of CSX by 0.4% during the third quarter. Cohen Capital Management Inc. now owns 278,373 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $9,885,000 after purchasing an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. 73.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

More CSX News

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

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.

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