CSX Payout Ratio: current value, 10-year range and year-by-year history
Cash & Leverage
Payout Ratio History
CSX Payout Ratio by year
Yearly range of CSX’s payout ratio from 2016 to 2026. Over the full period it ranged from 20.0% to 104.7%, averaging 35.0%.
| Year | Low | Average | High | Year-end |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 20.0% | 21.9% | 23.9% | 20.0% |
| 2025 | 24.6% | 32.7% | 46.6% | 24.6% |
| 2024 | 29.3% | 31.2% | 33.9% | 33.9% |
| 2023 | 25.4% | 26.4% | 27.5% | 26.6% |
| 2022 | 23.7% | 24.3% | 24.9% | 23.8% |
| 2021 | 24.8% | 26.8% | 29.2% | 25.0% |
| 2020 | 23.9% | 27.4% | 30.5% | 30.2% |
| 2019 | 22.7% | 23.2% | 23.6% | 23.4% |
| 2018 | 25.3% | 36.5% | 51.0% | 25.3% |
| 2017 | 48.8% | 69.0% | 93.9% | 48.8% |
| 2016 | 61.6% | 83.1% | 104.7% | 104.7% |
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What fraction of free cash flow is paid out as dividends. More reliable than the earnings-based payout ratio because cash is harder to manipulate through accounting choices. Low ratio = room to grow the dividend and absorb an earnings dip. High ratio = dividend is consuming most of the cash generated.
TTM Dividends Per Share / (TTM FCF ÷ Shares) × 100%A steadily rising FCF payout ratio warrants scrutiny only if FCF itself is flat or falling — that means the company is paying out a larger slice of shrinking cash. A high but stable ratio in a capital-light business (e.g. consumer staples) can be perfectly sustainable.
- FCF can be lumpy: large one-off capex or working-capital swings distort a single year. Look at the multi-year trend rather than any single data point.
- Utilities and REITs naturally sustain 60–90% FCF payout ratios; industrials and tech companies typically run 20–50%. Always compare to sector context.
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