CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) Upgraded to "Buy" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• CSX was upgraded to “Buy” by Wall Street Zen, which moved its rating from hold to buy. The change adds to an already fairly bullish analyst backdrop for the railroad operator.
• Analysts remain constructive overall on CSX, with 17 Buy ratings, eight Holds and one Sell, and a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy.” The consensus price target is $51.17.
• CSX’s latest quarter beat expectations, reporting EPS of $0.54 on revenue of $3.94 billion, both ahead of estimates. Revenue rose 10.1% year over year, and the company has been trading near its 12-month high.

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

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on CSX. Wolfe Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $50.00 target price on shares of CSX in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of CSX from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of CSX from $53.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley set a $32.00 price objective on shares of CSX and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of CSX from $49.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $51.17.

CSX Stock Performance

Shares of CSX stock opened at $53.23 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $98.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $47.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $43.15. CSX has a 12-month low of $31.80 and a 12-month high of $53.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.54 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 business had revenue of $3.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.89 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.44 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that CSX will post 1.94 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at CSX

In other news, Director John J. Zillmer sold 10,000 shares of CSX stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.45, for a total transaction of $464,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 353,714 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,430,015.30. The trade was a 2.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kevin S. Boone sold 136,708 shares of the business's 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 208,622 shares in the company, valued at $9,742,647.40. This represents a 39.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of CSX

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Arlington Trust Co LLC boosted its stake in CSX by 58.0% in the 2nd quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 681 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Allied Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of CSX during the 2nd quarter valued at about $37,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CSX by 97.4% during the 1st quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 829 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 409 shares during the period. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in shares of CSX during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, CrossGen Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CSX in the fourth quarter worth approximately $54,000. 73.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about CSX

Here are the key news stories impacting CSX this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CSX reported record Q2 revenue of $3.94 billion and EPS of $0.54, beating estimates, with profit, operating income and margins all improving year over year. The company also raised its full-year 2026 outlook on stronger intermodal demand, pricing gains and cost controls.
• Positive Sentiment: Several major brokerages turned more optimistic after the earnings beat. JPMorgan, Bank of America, TD Cowen, Citigroup and UBS either raised price targets or reaffirmed bullish ratings, signaling improving confidence in CSX’s outlook.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary highlighted CSX hitting fresh 52-week highs and noted that volume growth is starting to translate into earnings, which supports the stock’s momentum.
• Neutral Sentiment: CSX was also reported to have essentially flat short interest data in July, which does not appear to be a meaningful trading driver.
• Neutral Sentiment: A separate news item about a crane collapse at a CSX train yard involved contractors and does not appear to be a direct financial impact on the company at this time.
• Negative Sentiment: Not all analyst views are positive: Morgan Stanley reiterated a Sell rating with a $32 price target, citing limited upside despite the earnings beat.

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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