CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) Lowered to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded CSX from “Buy” to “Hold,” though the broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $51.31.
• CSX reported quarterly EPS of $0.54 and revenue of $3.94 billion, exceeding expectations; revenue rose 10.1% year over year, prompting analysts to raise earnings forecasts.
• Insiders sold approximately $9.1 million of CSX stock over the past three months, while institutional investors hold 73.57% of the company’s shares.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX - Get Free Report) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on CSX. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on CSX from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Argus set a $56.00 target price on CSX in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Susquehanna upgraded CSX from a "neutral" rating to a "positive" rating and raised their target price for the company from $50.00 to $58.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Wolfe Research reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $50.00 price target on shares of CSX in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, New Street Research set a $49.00 price target on shares of CSX in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $51.31.

CSX Stock Down 0.8%

NASDAQ:CSX opened at $50.27 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $93.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.21. CSX has a one year low of $31.80 and a one year high of $53.60. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $44.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.82.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.02. CSX had a return on equity of 24.98% and a net margin of 22.21%.The firm had revenue of $3.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.89 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.44 earnings per share. CSX's revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that CSX will post 2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Kevin S. Boone sold 136,708 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 208,622 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,742,647.40. The trade was a 39.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Michael S. Burns sold 13,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.68, for a total transaction of $684,840.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 59,643 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,141,993.24. This represents a 17.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 189,708 shares of company stock worth $9,132,304 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of CSX during the 2nd quarter worth about $7,655,277,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in CSX in the second quarter valued at about $950,325,000. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new position in CSX during the second quarter worth about $685,418,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in CSX during the second quarter worth about $224,809,000. Finally, M. Kulyk & Associates LLC purchased a new position in CSX during the second quarter worth about $8,145,000. 73.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CSX News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting CSX this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised earnings expectations. Zacks Research increased its FY2026 EPS forecast to $2.00 from $1.90, FY2027 to $2.14 from $2.10, and FY2028 to $2.27 from $2.16. Several quarterly estimates were also raised, suggesting improved expectations for CSX’s earnings trajectory. CSX analyst earnings estimates
• Positive Sentiment: CSX is adding service from the Port of Virginia to Indianapolis. The expanded connection could strengthen CSX’s intermodal volumes and improve its access to important freight flows, although the financial impact was not disclosed. Port of Virginia adds CSX rail service to Indianapolis
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent earnings momentum remains constructive. CSX’s latest quarterly results exceeded analyst expectations, with EPS of $0.54 versus a $0.52 consensus and revenue of $3.94 billion versus $3.89 billion. Revenue increased 10.1% year over year, providing support for the upgraded forecasts.
• Negative Sentiment: A CSX grain train derailed in South Charleston, West Virginia. Reports say several cars jumped the tracks and that the incident is under investigation. Any service disruption, cleanup costs, regulatory scrutiny, or liability could weigh on sentiment; the available reports did not provide an estimate of financial damages or injuries. CSX train derails in West Virginia CSX grain train jumps the tracks in South Charleston

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source