Will These Numbers From CSX Be Good Enough for You?

Seth Jayson, The Motley Fool
Updated

CSX (NYS: CSX) is expected to report Q2 earnings on July 17. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

The 10-second takeaway
Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict CSX's revenues will improve 1.1% and EPS will improve 2.2%.

The average estimate for revenue is $3.05 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.47.


Revenue details
Last quarter, CSX tallied revenue of $2.97 billion. GAAP reported sales were 5.6% higher than the prior-year quarter's $2.81 billion.

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Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
Last quarter, EPS came in at $0.43. GAAP EPS of $0.43 for Q1 were 23% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.35 per share.

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Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Recent performance
For the preceding quarter, gross margin was 37.5%, 130 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 28.9%, 140 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 15.1%, 100 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
The full year's average estimate for revenue is $12.14 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.83.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 1,966 members rating the stock outperform and 71 members rating it underperform. Among 434 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 425 give CSX a green thumbs-up, and nine give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on CSX is outperform, with an average price target of $26.77.

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At the time thisarticle was published Seth Jayson had no position in any company mentioned here at the time of publication. You can view his stock holdings here. He is co-advisor ofMotley Fool Hidden Gems, which provides new small-cap ideas every month, backed by a real-money portfolio. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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