CSX Corporation (CSX) AI Stock Analysis

CSX Corporation specializes in rail-based freight transportation services across a network of approximately 19,500 route miles serving 23 states east of the Mississippi River, the District of Columbia, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Founded in 1978 and headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, the company operates a fleet of roughly 3,500 locomotives and an intermodal network of about 30 terminals. Its operations include transporting intermodal containers and trailers, managing bulk commodities, and facilitating rail-to-truck transfers. CSX moves diverse freight including chemicals, agricultural goods, automotive parts, minerals, forest products, fertilizers, metals, and supplies coal, coke, and iron ore to industrial facilities and export ports.

Between FY2020 and FY2025, CSX delivered a revenue compound annual growth rate of 5.9%. Annual top line expanded from $12.52B in FY2021 to $14.85B in FY2022 before contracting for three consecutive years to $14.66B in FY2023, $14.54B in FY2024, and $14.09B in FY2025. Operating margin narrowed from 41.2% in FY2021 to 32.1% in FY2025, with net income declining to $2.89B and diluted EPS dropping to $1.61. Operating cash flow fell to $4.61B and free cash flow reached $1.71B in FY2025. Results rebounded in the trailing twelve months ended June 30, 2026, generating $14.51B in revenue and an operating margin of 38.4%, with latest quarter revenue growing 10.1% year-over-year and quarterly earnings up 22.7%.

As of June 30, 2026, CSX held $1.39B in cash and short-term investments against $19.36B in total debt, resulting in net debt of $17.97B. Shareholders' equity stood at $14.08B against $44.73B in total assets, yielding a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37 and a current ratio of 0.82. In FY2025, operating cash flow funded capital expenditures of $2.90B. The company allocated $1.40B to share buybacks and paid $972.0M in dividends, helping drive a 16.1% reduction in total share count over five years.

CSX trades at a trailing price-to-earnings ratio of 28.3x and a forward P/E of 21.2x, below the median of its Nasdaq-100 Industrials peers of 32.4x trailing and 27.3x forward. Its enterprise value to EBITDA ratio is 15.9x versus the peer median of 20.3x, while price-to-sales matches the peer median at 6.2x. CSX shares closed at $48.68 on October 16, 2026, up 37.0% over the past year, outperforming the S&P 500 (SPY) gain of 16.8%. Over a 5-year period, CSX returned 52.5% compared to 83.0% for SPY.

CSX offers a forward annual dividend of $0.56 per share, representing a dividend yield of 1.15% and a payout ratio of 30.6%. The company distributes dividends quarterly and has paid dividends for 46 consecutive years. Over the last five years, dividend payouts grew at an annualized rate of 8.4%. The most recent ex-dividend date was November 30, 2026.

Wall Street coverage includes 13 Strong Buy, 4 Buy, 6 Hold, 1 Sell, and 1 Strong Sell recommendations. The mean price target is $52.67, implying an 8.2% upside from the last close of $48.68. For the current fiscal year ending December 31, 2026, consensus estimates expect revenue of $15.27B and EPS of $2.00, representing 29.8% EPS growth. For the next fiscal year, 15 analysts project revenue of $16.07B and EPS of $2.28. CSX beat EPS estimates in 3 of the last 4 quarters, with next earnings scheduled for October 21, 2026.

This page is an AI-written research summary of CSX Corporation (CSX). The text was generated on October 30, 2026 from Quotelinks data as of October 16, 2026 (company profile, annual results, latest balance sheet, valuation, price performance and analyst estimates). An automatic check rejects any draft that contains a figure not found in that data. It is not investment advice; verify figures on the linked tabs before making decisions.

Related: CSX income statement, CSX balance sheet, CSX key metrics, CSX analyst forecast, CSX chart. See the CSX stock overview for the latest quote and news.