Which Is a Better Investment, CSX Corporation or Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. Stock?

By Tudor Pop
February 23, 2026
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Sifting through countless of stocks in the Ground Transportation industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in CSX Corporation or Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how CSX Corporation and Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About CSX Corporation and Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc.

CSX Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides rail-based freight transportation services in the United States and Canada. It operates through two segments: rail and trucking. The company offers rail services; and transportation of intermodal containers and trailers, as well as other transportation services, such as rail-to-truck transfers and bulk commodity operations. It also transports chemicals, agricultural and food products, minerals, automotive, forest products, fertilizers, and metals and equipment; and coal, coke, and iron ore to electricity-generating power plants, steel manufacturers, and industrial plants, as well as exports coal to deep-water port facilities. In addition, the company provides intermodal services through a network of approximately 30 terminals transporting manufactured consumer goods in containers; and drayage services, including the pickup and delivery of intermodal shipments. It serves the automotive industry with distribution centers and storage locations, as well as connects non-rail served customers through transferring products, such as plastics and ethanol from rail to trucks. The company operates approximately 20,000 route mile rail network, which serves various population centers in 26 states east of the Mississippi River, the District of Columbia, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, as well as owns 3400 locomotives. It serves production and distribution facilities through track connections. CSX Corporation was incorporated in 1978 and is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida.

Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a freight transportation company in the United States and Mexico. The company operates through four segments: Truckload, LTL, Logistics, and Intermodal. The Truckload segment offers irregular route, dedicated, refrigerated, flatbed, expedited, and cross-border services. The LTL segment provides regional direct service and serves its customers' national transportation needs by utilizing key partner carriers for coverage areas outside of its network. The Logistics segment provides brokerage and other freight management services utilizing third-party transportation providers and equipment. The Intermodal segment offers transportation services, including arranging the movement of customers' freight through third-party intermodal rail services on its trailing equipment; and drayage services to transport loads between the railheads and customer locations. The company also provides repair and maintenance shop services, equipment leasing, warranty services, and insurance; and trailer parts manufacturing, warehousing, and certain driving academy activities. It serves retail, food and beverage, consumer and paper products, transportation and logistics, housing and building, automotive, and manufacturing industries. The company was incorporated in 1989 and is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.

Latest Ground Transportation and CSX Corporation, Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. Stock News

As of February 23, 2026, CSX Corporation had a $78.0 billion market capitalization, compared to the Ground Transportation median of $4.9 million. CSX Corporation’s stock is up 15.8% in 2026, up 2.7% in the previous five trading days and up 29.3% in the past year.

Currently, CSX Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 27.3. CSX Corporation’s trailing 12-month revenue is $14.1 billion with a 20.5% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was -0.9%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $1.848 per share for the current fiscal year. CSX Corporation currently has a 1.2% dividend yield.

As of February 23, 2026, Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. had a $9.6 billion market cap, putting it in the 77th percentile of all stocks. Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc.’s stock is up 13.2% in 2026, down 0.6% in the previous five trading days and up 10.82% in the past year.

Currently, Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 145.5. Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $7.5 billion with a 0.9% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was -0.4%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $1.903 per share for the current fiscal year. Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. currently has a 1.2% dividend yield.

How We Compare CSX Corporation and Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at CSX Corporation and Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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CSX Corporation and Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc.’s Quality Grades

Company Ticker Quality
CSX Corporation CSX B
Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. KNX B

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

CSX Corporation has a Quality Score of 69, which is Strong. Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. has a Quality Score of 68, which is Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Quality Grade breakdown above, both CSX Corporation and Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. have a grade of B. For investors who focus solely on a company’s overall quality, you will need to conduct further research into both companies to see if they are a good fit for your portfolio. As a good rule of thumb, you should always analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before choosing a company to invest in.

CSX Corporation and Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc.’s Momentum Grades

Company Ticker Momentum
CSX Corporation CSX B
Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. KNX B

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

CSX Corporation has a Momentum Score of 68, which is Strong. Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. has a Momentum Score of 72, which is Strong.

The Momentum Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Momentum Grade breakdown above, both CSX Corporation and Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. have a grade of B. For those who focus solely on a company’s momentum, further research will need to be conducted into both companies to see if they fit your individual needs as an investor.

CSX Corporation and Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc.’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company Ticker Earnings Estimate
CSX Corporation CSX C
Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. KNX F

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

CSX Corporation has a Earnings Estimate Score of 42, which is Neutral. Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 17, which is Very Negative.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither CSX Corporation or Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. has an Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade that could be considered a “winner.” Investors considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if CSX Corporation or Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. is the better investment when it comes to estimate revisions.

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Other CSX Corporation and Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. Grades

In addition to Quality, Momentum and Estimate Revisions, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Growth.

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Growth investing builds on the idea that stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth outperform those of slower-growth companies. AAII measures growth through consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations.

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether CSX Corporation and Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, CSX Corporation or Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. Stock?

Overall, CSX Corporation stock has a Momentum Score of 68, Estimate Revisions Score of 42 and Quality Score of 69.

Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. stock has a Momentum Score of 72, Estimate Revisions Score of 17 and Quality Score of 68.

Comparing CSX Corporation and Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

Learn More About A+ Investor

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.



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