CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• CSX has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from 26 brokerages, with 17 buy ratings, 8 holds, and 1 sell. The average 12-month price target is about $50.54.
• The company posted a strong quarterly beat, reporting $0.54 EPS versus $0.52 expected and $3.94 billion in revenue versus $3.89 billion expected. Revenue rose 10.1% year over year, and operating margin improved to 38.3%.
• CSX also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share, payable September 15, implying an annualized yield of about 1.1%. Several major firms raised price targets after the results, though one analyst maintained a sell view on limited upside.

Shares of CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-six brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have given a hold recommendation and seventeen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $50.5370.

CSX has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America increased their price objective on CSX from $53.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on CSX from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on CSX from $49.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of CSX from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of CSX from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th.

CSX Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CSX opened at $52.81 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $47.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $43.08. CSX has a one year low of $31.80 and a one year high of $53.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $98.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.53, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.21.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $3.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.89 billion. CSX had a return on equity of 25.42% and a net margin of 22.21%.The business's revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.44 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that CSX will post 1.92 EPS for the current year.

CSX Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be issued a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 31st. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. CSX's payout ratio is presently 34.36%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director John J. Zillmer sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.45, for a total transaction of $464,500.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 353,714 shares in the company, valued at $16,430,015.30. The trade was a 2.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Kevin S. Boone sold 136,708 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.70, for a total transaction of $6,384,263.60. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 208,622 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,742,647.40. This represents a 39.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CSX

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Pinebridge Investments LLC acquired a new position in CSX in the fourth quarter valued at $5,979,000. Cohen & Steers Inc. boosted its stake in CSX by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 8,282,107 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $300,226,000 after buying an additional 98,977 shares during the last quarter. Allstate Corp boosted its stake in CSX by 105.7% in the 4th quarter. Allstate Corp now owns 136,869 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $4,962,000 after buying an additional 70,326 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in CSX by 159.5% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 73,410 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,661,000 after buying an additional 45,116 shares during the period. Finally, KTF Investments LLC purchased a new stake in CSX in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,325,000. 73.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting CSX

Here are the key news stories impacting CSX this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CSX posted Q2 adjusted EPS of $0.54, beating estimates, while revenue rose 10.1% year over year to a record $3.94 billion, helped by stronger intermodal demand, higher pricing, fuel surcharge revenue, and improved efficiency. Reuters: CSX second-quarter profit, revenue rises on intermodal demand
• Positive Sentiment: The company said operating income and margins improved meaningfully, with operating margin expanding to 38.3%, signaling that cost controls and volume growth are translating into better profitability. GlobeNewswire: CSX Corp. Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: CSX raised its 2026 outlook after the beat, and multiple brokers turned more constructive, including JPMorgan, Bank of America, TD Cowen, and UBS, which added to the bullish tone around the stock. Yahoo Finance: CSX boosts outlook on higher volume and revenue
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite the strong quarter, one analyst reiterated a Sell rating, arguing that upside remains limited, which creates a contrasting view but has not outweighed the upbeat earnings reaction. TipRanks: Analyst Reiterates Sell on CSX

About CSX

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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