CSX (CSX) reported $3.51 billion in revenue for the quarter ended December 2025, representing a year-over-year decline of 0.9%. EPS of $0.39 for the same period compares to $0.42 a year ago.
The reported revenue represents a surprise of -1.15% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.55 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being $0.42, the EPS surprise was -6.14%.
While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.
Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.
Here is how CSX performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:
- Operating Margin: 31.6% versus 67.2% estimated by four analysts on average.
- Volume - Merchandise - Minerals: 93 thousand versus 87.05 thousand estimated by three analysts on average.
- Revenue ton - miles: 48.4 billion versus 48.77 billion estimated by three analysts on average.
- Revenue per unit - Intermodal: $719.00 versus the three-analyst average estimate of $707.85.
- Revenue- Coal: $472 million compared to the $481.51 million average estimate based on three analysts. The reported number represents a change of -5.4% year over year.
- Revenue- Intermodal: $562 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $554.16 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +6.8%.
- Revenue- Merchandise- Fertilizers: $133 million versus $137.18 million estimated by two analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +6.4% change.
- Revenue- Merchandise- Chemicals: $680 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of $698.2 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -4%.
- Revenue- Merchandise- Automotive: $285 million compared to the $293.79 million average estimate based on two analysts. The reported number represents a change of -3.7% year over year.
- Revenue- Merchandise- Minerals: $207 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of $185.76 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +9.5%.
- Revenue- Merchandise- Forest Products: $229 million versus $251.15 million estimated by two analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -10.9% change.
- Revenue- Total Merchandise: $2.16 billion versus $2.19 billion estimated by two analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -1.6% change.
View all Key Company Metrics for CSX here>>>
Shares of CSX have returned -0.7% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +0.7% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), indicating that it could underperform the broader market in the near term.
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CSX Corporation (CSX): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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