CSX CORP

Liquidity is a company’s ability to generate adequate amounts of cash to meet both current and future needs for obligations as they mature and to provide for planned capital expenditures, including those to address regulatory and legislative requirements. To have a complete picture of a company’s liquidity, its sources and uses of cash, balance sheet and external factors should be reviewed.

Significant Cash Flows

The following charts highlight the operating, investing and financing components of the change in cash and cash equivalents for operating, investing and financing activities for full years 2023 and 2022.

In 2023, the Company generated $5.5 billion of cash from operating activities, which was $70 million less than prior year primarily driven by lower cash-generating net earnings and $168 million higher payments for retroactive wages and bonuses, including the associated taxes, related to finalized labor agreements. This decrease was partially offset by the impact of $381 million of postponed federal estimated tax payments mentioned above. Net cash used in investing activities was $2.3 billion, an increase in net spend of $156 million from the prior year primarily due to lower proceeds from property dispositions and higher property additions, partially offset by decreased acquisition spending. Cash used in financing activities was $3.9 billion, which represents an increase in net spend of $98 million from the prior year primarily due to lower proceeds from the issuance of long-term debt, partially offset by lower share repurchases.

CSX 2023 Form 10-K p.36

Sources of Cash and Liquidity

The Company has multiple sources of liquidity, including cash generated from operations and financing sources. The Company filed a shelf registration statement with the SEC on February 16, 2022, which may be used to issue debt or equity securities at CSX’s discretion, subject to market conditions and CSX Board authorization. While CSX seeks to give itself flexibility with respect to cash requirements, there can be no assurance that market conditions would permit CSX to sell such securities on acceptable terms at any given time, or at all. In 2023, CSX issued $600 million of long-term debt. See Note 10, Debt and Credit Agreements for more information.

CSX has access to a $1.2 billion five-year unsecured revolving credit facility backed by a diverse syndicate of banks that expires in February 2028. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had no outstanding balances under this facility. The Company also has a commercial paper program, backed by the revolving credit facility, under which the Company may issue unsecured commercial paper notes up to a maximum aggregate principal amount of $1.0 billion outstanding at any one time. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had no outstanding debt under the commercial paper program.

Uses of Cash

CSX uses current cash balances for general corporate purposes, which may include capital expenditures, working capital requirements, reduction or refinancing of outstanding indebtedness, redemptions and repurchases of CSX common stock, dividends to shareholders, acquisitions and other business opportunities, and contributions to the Company's qualified pension plan.

In 2023, CSX continued to invest in its business to create long-term value for shareholders. The Company is committed to maintaining and improving its existing infrastructure and to positioning itself for long-term, profitable growth through optimizing network and terminal capacity. Funds used for property additions are further described below.

Planned capital investments for 2024 are expected to be approximately $2.5 billion. Spending to sustain core infrastructure with a focus on safety and reliability will be a top priority. In addition, management is committed to investments that promote profitable growth, including projects supporting service enhancements and productivity initiatives, including investments in locomotives and freight cars. CSX intends to fund capital investments primarily through cash generated from operations.

CSX is continually evaluating market and regulatory conditions that could affect the Company’s ability to generate sufficient returns on capital investments. CSX may revise its future estimates for capital spending as a result of changes in business conditions, tax legislation or the enactment of new laws or regulations, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s operations and financial performance in the future (see Risk Factors under Item 1A of this Form 10-K).

CSX 2023 Form 10-K p.37

CSX is committed to returning cash to shareholders. Capital structure, capital investments and cash distributions, including dividends and share repurchases, are reviewed at least annually by the Board of Directors. On February 14, 2024, the Company's Board of Directors authorized a 9% increase in the quarterly cash dividend to $0.12 per common share effective March 2024. Management's assessment of market conditions and other factors guides the timing and volume of repurchases. Future share repurchases are expected to be funded by cash on hand, cash generated from operations and debt issuances.

Material Changes in the Consolidated Balance Sheets and Working Capital

CSX's balance sheet reflects its strong capital base and the impact of CSX's balanced approach in deploying capital for the benefit of its shareholders, which includes investments in infrastructure, dividend payments and share repurchases. Further, CSX is well positioned from a liquidity standpoint. The Company ended the year with $1.4 billion of cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments.

Total assets as well as total liabilities and shareholders' equity increased $496 million from prior year end. The increase in total assets was primarily due to a $693 million increase in net properties consistent with planned capital expenditures, a $113 million increase in net pension assets for qualified pension plans, a $105 million increase in materials and supplies and a $105 million increase in investments in affiliates and other companies. These increases were partially offset by a $605 million decrease in cash as noted above.

Total liabilities increased $988 million from prior year end primarily due to the issuance of $600 million in long-term debt, a $414 million increase in income and other taxes payable largely related to postponed federal estimated tax payments, a $177 million increase in deferred income taxes and a $107 million increase in accounts payable. These increases were partially offset by payouts of accrued retroactive wages and bonuses totaling $238 million and debt repayments of $153 million. Total shareholders' equity decreased $492 million from prior year end primarily driven by share repurchases of $3.5 billion and dividends paid of $882 million, partially offset by net earnings of $3.7 billion.

Working capital is considered a measure of a company’s ability to meet its short-term needs. CSX had a working capital surplus of $160 million at December 2023 and $1.4 billion at December 2022. This decrease of $1.2 billion since year end is primarily due to cash paid for share repurchases of $3.5 billion, property additions of $2.3 billion and dividend payments of $882 million, as well as a $558 million of long-term debt maturing in 2024. These decreases were partially offset by cash earned from operations of $5.5 billion and $600 million in cash received from debt issued.

CSX 2023 Form 10-K p.38

The Company’s working capital balance varies due to factors such as the timing of scheduled debt payments and changes in cash and cash equivalent balances. Although the Company currently has a surplus, a working capital deficit is not unusual for CSX or other companies in the industry and does not indicate a lack of liquidity. The Company continues to maintain adequate current assets to satisfy current liabilities and maturing obligations when they come due. Furthermore, CSX has sufficient financial capacity, including its revolving credit facility, commercial paper program and shelf registration statement to manage its day-to-day cash requirements and any anticipated obligations. The Company from time to time accesses the credit markets for additional liquidity.

Completed Transactions

Acquisition of Pan Am Systems, Inc.

On June 1, 2022, CSX completed its acquisition of Pan Am. The closing price of $600 million was funded through a combination of common stock valued at $422 million and cash totaling $178 million. Total cash consideration paid to acquire the business includes a $30 million deposit paid in fourth quarter 2020. For further details, refer to Note 17, Business Combinations.

Acquisition of Quality Carriers, Inc.

On July 1, 2021, CSX acquired Quality Carriers, Inc. for a purchase price of $544 million in cash. This transaction was funded by cash on hand. For further details, refer to Note 17, Business Combinations.

Sale of Property Rights to the Commonwealth of Virginia

On March 26, 2021, the Company entered into a comprehensive agreement to sell certain property rights in three CSX-owned line segments to the Commonwealth of Virginia (“Commonwealth”) over three phases. Over the course of the transaction, which was completed in 2022, total proceeds of $525 million were collected and total gains of $493 million were recognized. This includes $125 million of proceeds collected and $144 million of gains recognized in 2022. For further details, refer to Note 6, Properties.

CSX 2023 Form 10-K p.39

Credit Ratings

Credit ratings reflect an independent agency’s judgment on the likelihood that a borrower will repay a debt obligation at maturity. The ratings reflect many considerations, such as the nature of the borrower’s industry and its competitive position, the size of the company, its liquidity and access to capital and the sensitivity of a company’s cash flows to changes in the economy. The two largest rating agencies, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (“S&P”) and Moody’s Investors Service (“Moody’s”), use alphanumeric codes to designate their ratings. The highest quality rating for long-term credit obligations is AAA and Aaa for S&P and Moody’s, respectively. A credit rating is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities and may be subject to revision or withdrawal at any time by the assigning rating agency.

The cost and availability of unsecured financing are materially affected by CSX's long-term credit ratings. CSX's credit ratings improved during 2023 following an upgrade by Moody's from a long-term rating Baa1 (Stable) as of December 2022 to A3 (Stable) as of December 2023. S&P's long-term rating for CSX remains consistent at BBB+ (Stable) for both December 2022 and December 2023. Ratings of BBB- and Baa3 or better by S&P and Moody’s, respectively, reflect ratings on debt obligations that fall within a band of credit quality considered to be investment grade. If CSX's credit ratings were to decline to below investment-grade levels, the Company could experience significant increases in its interest cost for new debt. In addition, a decline in CSX’s credit ratings to below investment grade levels could adversely affect the market’s demand, and thus the Company’s ability to readily issue new debt. The Company is committed to maintaining an investment-grade credit profile.

CSX 2023 Form 10-K p.40