CSX (CSX) Q4 Earnings: Taking a Look at Key Metrics Versus Estimates

Core Insights - CSX reported $3.54 billion in revenue for the quarter ended December 2024, reflecting a year-over-year decline of 3.8% and an EPS of $0.42, down from $0.45 a year ago [1] - The revenue fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.58 billion by 1.24%, and the EPS also missed the consensus estimate of $0.43 by 2.33% [1] Financial Performance Metrics - Operating Margin was reported at 31.3%, significantly lower than the estimated 64.5% by analysts [4] - Revenue per unit for Intermodal was $705, compared to the average estimate of $713.29 [4] - Volume for Merchandise - Chemicals was 171 thousand, slightly above the average estimate of 169.92 thousand [4] - Volume for Merchandise - Agricultural and Food Products was 116 thousand, below the average estimate of 123.2 thousand [4] - Revenue from Coal was $499 million, below the average estimate of $510.69 million, representing a year-over-year decline of 19.5% [4] - Revenue from Intermodal was $526 million, slightly above the average estimate of $525.77 million, with a year-over-year decline of 4.7% [4] - Revenue from Merchandise - Fertilizers was $125 million, below the average estimate of $130.32 million, reflecting a year-over-year decline of 7.4% [4] - Revenue from Merchandise - Chemicals was $708 million, slightly below the average estimate of $710.15 million, with a year-over-year increase of 7.1% [4] - Revenue from Merchandise - Automotive was $296 million, below the average estimate of $308.92 million, representing a year-over-year decline of 5.7% [4] - Revenue from Merchandise - Minerals was $189 million, above the average estimate of $180.92 million, with a year-over-year increase of 5.6% [4] - Revenue from Merchandise - Forest Products was $257 million, in line with the average estimate of $257.67 million, showing a year-over-year increase of 2.4% [4] - Total Merchandise revenue was $2.19 billion, slightly below the average estimate of $2.22 billion, with a year-over-year increase of 0.4% [4] Stock Performance - CSX shares returned +2.1% over the past month, compared to the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +2.7% change [3] - The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank 4 (Sell), indicating potential underperformance relative to the broader market in the near term [3]