CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) Hits New 52-Week High Following Earnings Beat

CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The company traded as high as $52.25 and last traded at $52.8610, with a volume of 33713 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $49.93.

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 net margin of 22.21% and a return on equity of 24.98%. The company had revenue of $3.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.89 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.44 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

CSX Announces Dividend

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

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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $32.00 target price on CSX and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on CSX from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $41.00 price target (up from $37.00) on shares of CSX in a research 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 company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, New Street Research set a $49.00 price target on CSX in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $51.17.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CSX news, Director John J. Zillmer sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.45, for a total transaction of $464,500.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 353,714 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,430,015.30. The trade was a 2.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Kevin S. Boone sold 136,708 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 208,622 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,742,647.40. The trade was a 39.59% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CSX

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of CSX. 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 purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. Allied Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CSX in the second quarter valued at $37,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CSX by 97.4% in the first quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 829 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CSX in the second quarter worth $28,000. Finally, CrossGen Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CSX in the fourth quarter worth $54,000. 73.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CSX Stock Up 0.8%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.83. The firm has a market cap of $98.61 billion, a PE ratio of 30.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.21. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $47.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $43.15.

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.