Zacks Research Analysts Boost Earnings Estimates for CSX

CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX) – Zacks Research lifted their Q3 2026 EPS estimates for CSX in a research 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 prior forecast 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.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) last posted 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. The firm had revenue of $3.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.50 billion. CSX had a net margin of 21.55% and a return on equity of 24.47%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.34 EPS.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on CSX. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on CSX from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. New Street Research set a $49.00 target price on CSX in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Argus raised their price objective on shares of CSX from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Raymond James Financial lifted their price objective on shares of CSX from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on shares of CSX from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $45.34.

CSX Stock Down 2.5%

NASDAQ:CSX opened at $44.46 on Friday. CSX has a 52 week low of $28.33 and a 52 week high of $46.55. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $41.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $82.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34.

CSX Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th were given a $0.14 dividend. 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%. This is a boost from CSX’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. CSX’s payout ratio is currently 34.36%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Diana B. Sorfleet sold 90,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 165,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,882,876.28. This represents a 35.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Stephen F. Angel purchased 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $40.27 per share, for a total transaction of $1,006,750.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 146,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,901,165.80. This represents a 20.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. FNY Investment Advisers LLC raised its position in shares of CSX by 437.3% during the 3rd quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 720 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 586 shares in the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in CSX in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. boosted its holdings in CSX by 121.5% in the third quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 1,329 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 729 shares in the last quarter. CrossGen Wealth LLC purchased a new position in CSX in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Finally, Valley Wealth Managers Inc. increased its stake in CSX by 120.0% in the first quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 1,650 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.57% of the company’s stock.

CSX News Summary

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.