CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Saturday morning.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $60.00 price objective (up from $55.00) on shares of CSX in a research note on Thursday. TD Cowen boosted their price target on CSX from $46.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Vertical Research lowered CSX from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $44.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of CSX from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 price target on shares of CSX in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, CSX has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $51.17.

CSX Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CSX opened at $53.23 on Friday. 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 has a twelve month low of $31.80 and a twelve month high of $53.41. The company’s 50 day moving average is $47.70 and its 200 day moving average is $43.15. The company has a market cap of $98.61 billion, a PE ratio of 30.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.21.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.02. CSX had a net margin of 22.21% and a return on equity of 24.98%. The firm had revenue of $3.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.89 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.44 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that CSX will post 1.96 EPS for the current year.

CSX Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 31st. CSX’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.37%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director John J. Zillmer sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.45, for a total value of $464,500.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 353,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,430,015.30. This trade represents a 2.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Kevin S. Boone sold 136,708 shares of CSX stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.70, for a total value of $6,384,263.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 208,622 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,742,647.40. The trade was 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 company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CSX

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan lifted its holdings in CSX by 34.2% in the 4th quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 96,484 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,498,000 after purchasing an additional 24,566 shares in the last quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. raised its position in shares of CSX by 26.0% in the fourth quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 111,914 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,057,000 after buying an additional 23,072 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of CSX by 159.5% in the fourth 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 last quarter. KTF Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of CSX in the fourth quarter worth about $1,325,000. Finally, BNB Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of CSX in the fourth quarter worth about $1,125,000. 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: 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.

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.