# CSX Corporation (CSX) fundamentals

Data as of 2026-09-08. NASDAQ, United States. Sector: Industrials / Road & Rail. Price $49.41, market value $91.5 billion.

## Valuation
- **P/E (trailing): 28.7×** (5-yr avg 19.2×, 3-yr avg 19.8×). CSX Corporation trades at 28.7× trailing earnings, well above its own five-year average of 19.2×: investors are paying up relative to the company's past. The Industrials median in the September 2026 study was 25.7×. Forward P/E is 21.8×, lower than trailing, so analysts expect earnings to grow.
- **Price / sales: 6.3×**. Each dollar of revenue is priced at 6.3×.
- **Price / book: 6.5×**. The shares trade at 6.5× book value; most of the value is in earnings power and intangibles rather than the balance sheet.
- **EV / EBITDA: 16.7×**. Enterprise value is 16.7× operating earnings before depreciation, the multiple that ignores how the company is financed.
- **Free-cash-flow yield: 3.1%** (5-yr avg 4.3%). Free cash flow equals 3.1% of the market value, below its five-year average of 4.3%, so the shares are pricier on cash than usual.
- **Earnings yield: 3.5%**. The inverse of the P/E: 3.5% of the price is earned each year.

## Profitability
- **Operating margin: 34.2%**. 34.2% of revenue is left after running the business, an exceptional level.
- **Net margin: 20.5%**. 20.5% of each dollar of sales reaches the bottom line.
- **Return on equity: 22.0%**. 22.0% on shareholders' equity is excellent if it is not driven by leverage; sustained above 20% usually signals a competitive advantage.
- **Return on invested capital: 12.2%**. Return on all capital, debt included, is 12.2%.
- **Return on assets: 7.4%**. Each dollar of assets produces 7.4% of profit.

## Growth
- **Revenue growth (1 yr): -3.1%** (3-yr -1.7%/yr, 5-yr 5.9%/yr). Revenue fell 3.1% over the last year, against 5.9% a year compounded over five years: growth is slowing.
- **EPS growth (1 yr): -14.0%** (3-yr -7.1%/yr, 5-yr 5.1%/yr). Earnings per share fell 14.0%, slower than revenue, so margins compressed.
- **Free-cash-flow growth (3 yr): -20.6%/yr**. Free cash flow has compounded at -20.6% a year over three years, lagging earnings: check whether profits are turning into cash.

## Financial health
- **Debt to equity: 1.43**. Debt is 1.43 times equity, a leveraged balance sheet that needs steady cash flow to service.
- **Current ratio: 0.81** (quick 0.81). Current liabilities exceed current assets, so the company depends on ongoing cash generation or refinancing to pay the next year's bills.
- **Altman Z-score: 2.87**. A Z-score of 2.87 is in the grey zone; not distressed, not clearly safe.
- **Piotroski F-score: 5/9**. 5 of 9 checks pass: mixed.

## Dividends
- **Dividend yield: 1.13%** ($0.54 per share, trailing). CSX Corporation yields 1.13%, a modest yield more typical of a growth-oriented payer.
- **Payout ratio: 34%** (36% of free cash flow). 34% of earnings goes out as dividends, leaving room to keep raising it.
- **Consecutive years of increases: 23**. 23 straight years of increases, a record that survived at least one recession.
- **Dividend growth (5 yr): 8.4%/yr** (1-yr 8.3%). The dividend has grown 8.4% a year over five years.

## Analyst view
- **Analyst consensus: buy** (23 analysts). 23 analysts cover CSX Corporation; the consensus is buy, with an average price target of $53.14 (+8% from the current price). Analyst opinion is shown for context; it is not part of the Fundamental Score.

## Price and momentum
- **Total return (1 yr): 52.8%** (YTD 37.2%, 3-mo 5.2%). The shares are up 52.8% over twelve months including dividends.
- **From 52-week high: -7.8%** (55.4% above the low). Trading 8% below its 52-week high.
- **200-day average: above**. The price sits above its 200-day moving average, the usual definition of an uptrend.
- **RSI (14-day): 43**. An RSI of 43 is neutral.
- **Beta (1 yr): 0.46** (volatility 22%). Beta of 0.46 against the S&P 500: the shares move much less than the market.

Live score and charts: https://foliofundamentals.com/analyzer?s=CSX · Page: https://foliofundamentals.com/stocks/csx

Not investment advice.