With a median price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of close to 18x in the United States, you could be forgiven for feeling indifferent about CSX Corporation's (NASDAQ:CSX) P/E ratio of 16.9x. However, investors might be overlooking a clear opportunity or potential setback if there is no rational basis for the P/E.

There hasn't been much to differentiate CSX's and the market's earnings growth lately. It seems that many are expecting the mediocre earnings performance to persist, which has held the P/E back. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this can at least be maintained so that you could pick up some stock while it's not quite in favour.

View our latest analysis for CSX

Keen to find out how analysts think CSX's future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.

How Is CSX's Growth Trending?

CSX's P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver moderate growth, and importantly, perform in line with the market.

If we review the last year of earnings, the company posted a result that saw barely any deviation from a year ago. Still, the latest three year period was better as it's delivered a decent 20% overall rise in EPS. Therefore, it's fair to say that earnings growth has been inconsistent recently for the company.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 9.2% per year during the coming three years according to the analysts following the company. That's shaping up to be similar to the 11% per year growth forecast for the broader market.

With this information, we can see why CSX is trading at a fairly similar P/E to the market. Apparently shareholders are comfortable to simply hold on while the company is keeping a low profile.

The Bottom Line On CSX's P/E

While the price-to-earnings ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of earnings expectations.

As we suspected, our examination of CSX's analyst forecasts revealed that its market-matching earnings outlook is contributing to its current P/E. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/E as they are quite confident future earnings won't throw up any surprises. Unless these conditions change, they will continue to support the share price at these levels.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 2 warning signs for CSX that we have uncovered.

You might be able to find a better investment than CSX. If you want a selection of possible candidates, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a low P/E (but have proven they can grow earnings).

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