Fact based stock research
CSX (NasdaqGS:CSX)

US1264081035

How to read the free ranks

For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

CSX stock research in summary

csx.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 10 (worse than 90% compared with investment alternatives), CSX (Railroads, USA) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of CSX are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 28 (worse than 72% of alternatives), show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 24), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 48), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 10, is a sell recommendation based on CSX's financial characteristics. As the company CSX's key financial metrics all exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 28), low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 24), and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 48), it is a somewhat questionable stock investment, where the risk of paying too much for the shares is significant, unless the company has an exceptionally bright future. Such poor financial performance sometimes indicates that the company's business is all concentrated in some distant future. This is sometimes the case for high-tech or biotechnology companies. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and risky today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts are all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that should only amount to a small fraction of a safe portfolio. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	28
Growth Rank	24
Safety Rank	48
Combined Rank	10

Country	USA
Industry	Railroads
Index	Low Emissions, Low Waste, Recycling, NASDAQ 100, NASDAQ, S&P 500
Size class	XX-Large

19-Dec-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

Multiple opinions. One number.

Analysts rarely agree on a stock’s future. So, who do you believe? Obermatt translates those collective views into a single Sentiment Rank. That plus the financial ranks give you the ultimate 360° View. Sign up to access them.

Why popular stocks have low ratings

It’s easier said than done. When your stock drops, it’s easy to want to sell it and find a better performer. Think twice, or even three times, before trading. Those fees (especially the hidden ones) can eat up your gains.

Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: CSX

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	25	27	32	28
GROWTH
GROWTH	14	36	47	24
SAFETY
SAFETY	39	28	31	48
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	47	92	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	14	39	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 19-Dec-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Sep-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better CSX is in the corresponding investment strategy.
Upgrade to a Premium Account to access the latest ranks.

Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	25	27	32	28
GROWTH
GROWTH	14	36	47	24
SAFETY
SAFETY	39	28	31	48
COMBINED
COMBINED	21	10	17	10

Last update of combined financial performance: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of CSX the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 28 (worse than 72% compared with alternatives), CSX shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for CSX. Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) is 56 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 56% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning CSX's profit levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 24, which means that the stock price is lower as regards to invested capital than for 24% of comparable investments. On the other hand, Price-to-Sales is less favorable than 89% of alternatives (only 11% of peers have an even less favorable ratio). The same is valid for dividend yield, which is lower than 30% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive as regards to the company's expected dividend payouts. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 28, is a hold recommendation based on CSX's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. This is a puzzling picture, because it means that profits are high while dividends are low. Since the stock price is low compared with invested capital but high in respect to expected revenues, it means that the company has more invested capital than peers for generating the same amount of revenue. Since profits are higher, it could be a "cash cow" situation (using the classic Boston Consulting BCG matrix naming convention) where the company is on a downward trend, still living from the profits of past products. As the company pays low dividends, it may harbor the opinion that a turnaround is possible, and it rather invests the cash than pay it out to shareholders, thus sealing the company's fate early. Any investment optimism should only be a buy trigger once thorough research is completed. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is especially important in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	18	11	13	11
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	46	32	42	56
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	24	17	27	24
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	72	70	63	70
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	25	27	32	28

Last update of Value Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of CSX; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 24 (better than 24% compared with alternatives), CSX shows one of the most restricted growth dynamics in its industry. There is little momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four metrics below average for CSX. While Profit Growth has a good rank of 50, as professionals currently expect the company to grow its profits more than 50% of its competitors, all other growth indicators are below market averages. Sales Growth has a rank of 21, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 79% of its competitors, while Capital Growth has a rank of 36 and Stock Returns have been below market median, with a rank of 40 (60% of alternative investments were better). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 24, is a sell recommendation for growth and momentum investors. While revenue growth and capital growth are good growth momentum indicators, profit is less reliable, because profits may increase due to cost-cutting measures which typically indicate negative growth momentum. "You can save a dollar only once" is the saying about such situations. Growth Investors should look at company priorities closely if they are interested in growth, because the increase in profits is not usually an indicator of growth, and stock prices have been below market, too. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is limited here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	21	53	19	21
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	28	27	70	50
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	51	45	36
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	28	53	57	40
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	14	36	47	24

Last update of Growth Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of CSX.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 48 (better than 48% compared with alternatives), the company CSX has financing practices on the riskier side, which means that their overall debt burden is above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of CSX is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with two out of three indicators above-average for CSX. Refinancing is at 56, meaning the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 56% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at 69, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 69% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. However, Leverage is rather large at 27, which means the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 73% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 48 (worse than 52% compared with alternatives), CSX has a financing structure that is riskier than that of its competitors. This is not bad if things go well. The higher debt level means better returns to shareholders if things go well. Many top-performing companies operate with higher debt levels, and CSX could be in that group. But if you expect the environment to turn rougher, the higher leverage could become a problem. The same is valid if you expect interest rates to rise. That could squeeze shareholder returns, which so far have benefitted from better conditions. In the long-term, investors may have a debt challenge with CSX and should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	52	38	28	27
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	28	26	38	56
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	45	59	53	69
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	39	28	31	48

Last update of Safety Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of CSX and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2021	2022	2023	2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	69	75	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	12	42	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	24	90	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	82	71	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	47	92	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for CSX.
Upgrade to a Premium Account to access the latest ranks.