Zacks Research Analysts Raise Earnings Estimates for CSX

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised CSX's earnings outlook, boosting Q3 2026 EPS to $0.52 (from $0.49) and lifting FY2026 to $1.90 and FY2027 to $2.10, signaling improved near‑term profitability expectations.
• Analysts have pushed up price targets (e.g., Wells Fargo to $50, Raymond James to $49) and the stock carries a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $45.34 (16 Buy, 9 Hold).
• Mixed insider and institutional signals: the CEO bought ~25,000 shares while the CAO sold 90,000; institutional ownership is ~73.6% with new fund positions reported, and CSX recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.14 ($0.56 annual, ~1.3% yield).

CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q3 2026 EPS estimates for CSX in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, May 6th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the transportation company will post earnings per share of $0.52 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $0.49. The consensus estimate for CSX's current full-year earnings is $1.89 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for CSX's Q4 2026 earnings at $0.49 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $1.90 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.47 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $2.10 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on CSX from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on CSX from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Vertical Research lowered CSX from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $44.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Raymond James Financial lifted their price target on shares of CSX from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Stephens upped their price objective on shares of CSX from $42.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $45.34.

CSX Price Performance

Shares of CSX stock opened at $44.46 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $82.61 billion, a PE ratio of 27.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.24. CSX has a twelve month low of $28.33 and a twelve month high of $46.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $41.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $38.62.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.04. CSX had a net margin of 21.55% and a return on equity of 24.47%. The business had revenue of $3.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.50 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.34 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

CSX Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th were paid a $0.14 dividend. This is a boost from CSX's previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. CSX's dividend payout ratio is 34.36%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Diana B. Sorfleet sold 90,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.56, for a total value of $3,740,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 165,613 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,882,876.28. This represents a 35.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Stephen F. Angel acquired 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $40.27 per share, with a total value of $1,006,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 146,540 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,901,165.80. The trade was a 20.57% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of CSX

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cohen & Steers Inc. lifted its holdings in CSX by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 8,282,107 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $300,226,000 after acquiring an additional 98,977 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in CSX by 0.3% during the third quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 3,450,199 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $122,516,000 after acquiring an additional 8,639 shares during the last quarter. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC increased its stake in 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 worth $33,555,000 after acquiring an additional 425,395 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its position in CSX by 4.4% in 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 during the period. Finally, Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY raised its position in CSX by 6.8% in the first quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY now owns 238,817 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $9,803,000 after purchasing an additional 15,310 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.57% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting CSX

Here are the key news stories impacting CSX this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple quarterly and multi‑year EPS forecasts for CSX (including FY2026 to $1.90 from $1.84 and FY2027 to $2.10 from $2.03), and lifted several Q1/Q3/Q4 2026–27 estimates — a signal of improved earnings expectations.
• Positive Sentiment: CSX and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) upgraded the Southeast Mexico Express (SMX) premium intermodal service with a dedicated train and faster transit times, expanding origin/destination options — potentially boosting intermodal volumes and revenue exposure to Mexico/SE U.S. markets. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: New institutional buying: Mediolanum International Funds opened a ~$29.2M CSX position per a 13F filing, and the CEO bought ~25,000 shares (~$1M), which can be read as a vote of confidence from both an investor and management perspective. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst price targets are mixed but centered near the current level (median target ~$45.5), indicating varied views on upside from here. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed near‑term estimates for Q2 2026 and Q2 2027 (to ~$0.46 and $0.47), which may pressure sentiment around upcoming quarterly results.
• Negative Sentiment: Offsetting the buys, there are meaningful insider and institutional sales/disposals reported (large EVP sales and significant position reductions by some funds in recent quarters), which can create selling pressure or dampen confidence. Article Title

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.

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.