Citi: Norfolk Southern's Profitability In Question Amid Rising Operating Expenses


20-Year Pro Trader Reveals His "MoneyLine"

Ditch your indicators and use the "MoneyLine". A simple line tells you when to buy and sell without the guesswork. It’s a line on a chart that’s helped Nic Chahine win 83% of his options buys. Here's how he does it.


Citi issued a company report on Norfolk Southern Corp. (NYSE: NSC) after the company announced updated expectations for Q1 2015 EPS of $1.00, $0.26 below the consensus estimate. Citi rates Norfolk as Neutral and lowered its price target from $109 to $103.

Analysts Christian Wetherbee and Prashant Rao wrote, “The revenue expectation for $2.6b is in line with our recently lowered estimates, with the miss primarily driven by higher weather and service-recovery costs...Norfolk’s operations appear to be challenged by resource availability and inability to recover from tougher than expected weather. With consensus estimates headed toward our much lower expectations, we expect shares to be under sharp pressure.

Related Link: Rail Stocks Slip After Hours On Profit Warning From Norfolk Southern

Citi believes that Norfolk has been hurt by commodity prices and weather increasing operating expenses and decreasing profitability. Because Norfolk’s fuel charges operate on a two-week to two-month lag, volatility in fuel prices hurt the company’s ability to match expenses with surcharge collections. Citi believes that a bright spot for the company would be if management confidently steps in with its $1 billion buyback program on expected weakness.

Shares of Norfolk Southern traded recently at $98.55, down 6 percent.

20-Year Pro Trader Reveals His "MoneyLine"

Ditch your indicators and use the "MoneyLine". A simple line tells you when to buy and sell without the guesswork. It’s a line on a chart that’s helped Nic Chahine win 83% of his options buys. Here's how he does it.


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Posted In: Analyst ColorPrice TargetAnalyst RatingsChristian WetherbeeCitiPrashant Rao