CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) Price Target Raised to $45.00

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) had its price target raised by investment analysts at TD Cowen from $40.00 to $45.00 in a report released on Thursday. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the transportation company’s stock. TD Cowen’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 4.21% from the stock’s previous close.

CSX has been the subject of several other research reports. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of CSX in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of CSX in a report on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on CSX from $42.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on CSX from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on CSX from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CSX has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $42.41.

CSX Stock Performance

Shares of CSX opened at $43.18 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $41.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $38.02. CSX has a one year low of $27.18 and a one year high of $43.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market cap of $80.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.25.

CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $3.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.50 billion. CSX had a return on equity of 23.88% and a net margin of 20.50%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.34 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that CSX will post 1.84 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at CSX

In related news, CAO Diana B. Sorfleet sold 90,000 shares of CSX stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 165,613 shares in the company, valued at $6,882,876.28. The trade was a 35.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephen Fortune sold 31,456 shares of CSX stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.65, for a total value of $1,215,774.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 82,034 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,170,614.10. This represents a 27.72% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 188,123 shares of company stock worth $7,454,854 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CSX

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. FNY Investment Advisers LLC increased its stake in shares of CSX by 437.3% in the 3rd quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 720 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 586 shares in the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in shares of CSX in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. increased its stake in shares of CSX by 121.5% in the 3rd 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 shares of CSX in the 4th quarter valued at about $54,000. Finally, Aventura Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of CSX in the 4th quarter valued at about $63,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.57% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting CSX

Here are the key news stories impacting CSX this week:

• Positive Sentiment: EPS and profit beat: CSX delivered diluted EPS of $0.43 (vs. ~$0.39 consensus) and reported a roughly 25% jump in net income year?over?year driven by lower operating costs and margin expansion. This drove the initial rally. AP: CSX delivers 25% jump in profit
• Positive Sentiment: Efficiency and volumes: Management cited efficiency gains and rising intermodal volumes (total units +3% y/y) that helped operating income rise to $1.25B and gross profit expand materially. These operational improvements underpin better margins and cash generation. Investing: Efficiency gains drive beat
• Positive Sentiment: Upgraded cash?flow outlook: CSX raised its 2026 free cash flow outlook (anticipating >60% FCF growth) and moved revenue guidance to mid?single digits — a clear positive for buybacks/debt paydown and long?term value creation. Seeking Alpha: FCF growth outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue mixed: Revenue totaled $3.48B (+1.7% y/y) but missed some street estimates (~$3.50B), so growth is positive but modest; investors will watch whether mid?single digit guidance materializes. GlobeNewswire: Q1 results
• Neutral Sentiment: Cash flow & capex mix: Operating cash flow rose strongly and capex was down y/y, improving free cash flow conversion — positive for capital allocation but investors will monitor reinvestment levels vs. long?term growth. Yahoo / FreightWaves: cash flow and volumes
• Negative Sentiment: High expectations and valuation: CSX was trading near 52?week highs heading into the print, so the bar was high; a revenue miss and modest top?line growth leave the stock vulnerable to profit?taking if future quarters don’t show sustained top?line acceleration. Investing: earnings test near highs
• Negative Sentiment: Insider/ownership notes and analyst dispersion: Some large institutional repositioning and recent insider sales (reported by data providers) plus a wide range of analyst price targets indicate differing views on upside, adding near?term uncertainty. QuiverQuant: institutional and insider activity

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.