CSX Corporation · CSX · FY2026 Q1 · Calendar Q2 2026

CSX raises growth outlook as volumes rise and costs fall

The quarter supports a constructive, execution-dependent view: volume growth, lower expenses and a guidance raise strengthen the case for earnings growth, while fuel, inflation and weaker end markets remain meaningful offsets.

Reported After market closeNASDAQIndustrials $86.97B market cap
100quality score

Earnings scorecard

Reported versus consensus
Reported EPS $0.43 Consensus $0.39
EPS surprise +10.5% Reported versus consensus
Reported revenue $3.48B Consensus $3.49B
Revenue surprise -0.2% Reported versus consensus

Market reaction

event-close to next-session close
Stock move +6.9% Event window
SPY move -0.4% Same window
Abnormal move +7.3% Stock minus SPY
Volume 2.1× Versus trailing sessions
Subsequent drift -0.6% Up to 20 sessions
CSXSPY benchmark

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Transcript intelligence

What changed

Compared with the prior-quarter analysis, the tone shifted from cautious to confident: revenue and volume growth improved, expenses declined, guidance was raised, and the focus broadened to executing capacity and industrial-development projects.

Guidance delta

Raised from low single-digit to mid-single-digit revenue growth; operating margin expansion remained 200–300 basis points.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue increased 2% on 3% volume growth while operating expenses declined 6%.
  • Management raised revenue-growth guidance to mid-single digits and maintained 200–300 basis points of operating-margin expansion.
  • More than 100 productivity initiatives are producing $100M+ in efficiency savings.
  • Howard Street Tunnel, SMX and Meridian & Bigbee projects are intended to add capacity and improve service speed.
  • A roughly 600-project industrial-development pipeline could add volume as projects enter service.

Management priorities

  • Execute productivity and cost-control initiatives
  • Complete Howard Street Tunnel double-stack capability and expand SMX service
  • Advance Meridian & Bigbee infrastructure improvements
  • Scale industrial-development projects and add carload volumes
  • Maintain safety and fuel-efficiency programs

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Earnings History

Estimate Beat Miss Match
CSX REVENUE earnings history estimate and actual scatter chart 9 reported fiscal quarters and 4 future estimate-only quarters. Q1 '24 estimate $4B Q1 '24 actual $4B, beat Q2 '24 estimate $4B Q2 '24 actual $4B, match Q3 '24 estimate $4B Q3 '24 actual $4B, miss Q2 '25 estimate $4B Q2 '25 actual $4B, match Q3 '25 estimate $4B Q3 '25 actual $4B, beat Q4 '25 estimate $4B Q4 '25 actual $4B, miss Q1 '26 estimate $3B Q1 '26 actual $3B, miss Q2 '26 estimate $4B Q2 '26 actual $4B, beat Q3 '26 estimate $4B Q4 '26 estimate $4B Q1 '27 estimate $4B Q2 '27 estimate $4B
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Analyst Consensus ?

ConsensusBuy45 ratings
Bullish2760.0%
Neutral1635.6%
Bearish24.4%

Analyst 52W Price Targets

$46.95Current
$25Low
$44.5Average
$105High

Latest persisted target per named analyst; persisted current price from FN2's market snapshot as of Sep 25, 2026. Not an FN2 forecast.

Firm-level rating actions

FMP grade actions identify the grading firm, not a named analyst.

FirmRatingPrior ratingActionDate
B of A Securities Buy BuyMaintainSep 18, 2026
Citigroup Neutral NeutralMaintainJul 24, 2026
TD Cowen Buy BuyMaintainJul 23, 2026
RBC Capital Outperform OutperformMaintainJul 23, 2026
JP Morgan Overweight OverweightMaintainJul 23, 2026
Show 40 more rating actions

Named analyst price targets

Upside is calculated against the persisted current price $46.95. FMP does not supply a rating on these named-analyst rows.

FirmAnalyst52W targetPrice when postedUpsideDate
RBC CapitalAnalyst unavailable$53$47.2 +12.9%Sep 24, 2026
Argus ResearchAnalyst unavailable$56$50.15 +19.3%Jul 31, 2026
Deutsche BankAnalyst unavailable$59$53.2 +25.7%Jul 24, 2026
RBC CapitalWalter Spracklin$54$52.68 +15.0%Jul 23, 2026
Stifel NicolausAnalyst unavailable$54$52.68 +15.0%Jul 23, 2026
See 96 more

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Company context

Snapshot as of publication

CSX Corporation, operating through its subsidiaries, stands as a leading provider of rail-based cargo transportation services. The company offers a wide range of services, including general rail freight, the movement of intermodal containers and trailers, and specialized transport solutions such as efficient rail-to-truck transfers and the handling of bulk commodities. CSX facilitates the shipment of a diverse array of goods, encompassing industrial chemicals, agricultural and food products, automotive components and finished vehicles, minerals, timber products, fertilizers, and various metals and heavy equipment. Additionally, it plays a crucial role in energy supply chains, transporting coal, coke, and iron ore to power generation facilities, steel manufacturers, and industrial plants, and also manages the export of coal via deep-water port access.…

Historical context

All CSX earnings

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Sources

  1. Earnings call transcript and parsed analysis · 2026-05-11T10:29:34.698584+00:00
  2. FN2 earnings calendar · 2026-07-26T00:37:12.209961+00:00
  3. Polygon adjusted daily market bars · 2026-09-25T02:40:59.588204+00:00
  4. Financial Modeling Prep analyst price-target consensus and quote snapshot · 2026-09-25T02:40:59.585359+00:00

Methodology

Reported and consensus figures come from FN2's earnings event records. Market reaction and volume are calculated from daily adjusted bars around the event; abnormal move subtracts the SPY move over the same window.

Analyst target low, average, and high values are derived at request time from each named analyst's latest persisted FMP target. The current-price marker comes from FN2's persisted market snapshot. They are sell-side estimates, not an FN2 valuation or recommendation.

Transcript intelligence is a structured synthesis of the current and prior earnings-call analyses. Missing values stay missing and are never estimated.

By FN2 Research · Updated · As of 2026-09-25. For educational purposes only; not investment advice.