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Jacksonville, Florida-based CSX Corporation (CSX) operates as one of the leading transportation companies in North America, providing rail-based freight transportation services in the U.S. and Canada. With a market cap of $65.8 billion, CSX operates through rail and trucking segments.
The transportation giant has notably lagged behind the broader market over the past year but outperformed it in 2025. CSX stock has gained 10.1% on a YTD basis and inched up 1.5% over the past 52 weeks, compared to the S&P 500 Index’s ($SPX) 7.8% gains in 2025 and 16.6% returns over the past year.
Narrowing the focus, CSX has also outpaced the industry-focused iShares Transportation Average ETF’s (IYT) marginal uptick in 2025, and underperformed IYT’s 3.9% gains over the past year.
CSX stock prices observed a marginal gain in the trading session after the release of its mixed Q2 results on Jul. 23. Due to the impact of reduced fuel surcharge and drop in merchandise volume, the company’s topline took a notable hit. This was partly offset by an increase in pricing and intermodal volumes, yet the total revenues dropped 3.4% year-over-year to $3.6 billion, missing the Street expectations by a small margin.
Meanwhile, the company did a commendable job at curbing expenses, which led to a smaller drop in earnings compared to expectations. Net earnings came in at $829 million, down 13.9% year-over-year, yet its EPS of $0.44, surpassed the consensus estimates by 4.8%.
For the full fiscal 2025, ending in December, analysts expect CSX to deliver an EPS of $1.67, down 8.7% year-over-year. The company has a mixed earnings surprise history. It has surpassed the Street’s bottom-line estimates thrice over the past four quarters, while missing the projections on one other occasion.
The stock has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating overall. Of the 25 analysts covering the stock, opinions include 17 “Strong Buys,” one “Moderate Buy,” and seven “Holds.”
This configuration is notably more bullish than a month ago, when only 13 analysts gave “Strong Buy” recommendations.
On Jul. 25, Baird analyst Daniel Moore reiterated an “Outperform” rating on CSX and raised the price target from $38 to $44.
CSX’s mean price target of $37.71 suggests a modest 6.1% upside from current price levels, while the Street-high target of $45 represents a notable 26.6% premium.
On the date of publication, Aditya Sarawgi did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.
