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Norfolk Southern Corp.

  • This Sector Is Booming and Nobody Seems to Have Noticed

    By Nauman Aly - May 23, 2013 | Tickers: CNI, CP, KSU, NSC, UNP

    There’s a sector that’s been booming in recent months, and almost nobody seems to have noticed. That sector is—surprise—railroads. The bluest of blue chips have seen surging share prices, revenues, and earnings per share lately. The boom seems to be across the board, not just in a few big players.

    A little railroad that could

    The surge in share prices for rail operators has been phenomenal more »

  • This Railroad Stands Out from the Others

    By Ted Cooper - May 22, 2013 | Tickers: KSU, NSC, UNP

    Investors often have a set of metrics that they use to analyze and value each company the investigate. Common financial metrics include return on equity, return on assets, operating margin, etc. Common valuation ratios include price-to-earnings, price-to-book, and price-to-cash flow.

    Each of these metrics can be useful, but it is dangerous to apply one set of analytical tools to all companies. Instead, investors should customize the set of metrics used more »

  • Profits Flow from Southeast Logistics Hubs

    By Arturo Cuevas - May 22, 2013 | Tickers: CSX, JBHT, NSC, ODFL

    Investing opportunities in logistics seem ripe these days. Indications are that people are now getting more inclined to spend, and thus, more goods need to get moving. Among the recent indicators of zealous U.S. consumer sentiment came from a Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary assessment for May. It showed that overall, the index of consumer sentiment rose in early May to its highest level in almost six years more »

  • Play the Coal Rebound With These Stocks

    By Mark Yagalla - May 16, 2013 | Tickers: ACI, CNX, CSX, NSC

    It's important for investors to understand that there are two types of coal mined. The first is thermal coal which is used by power plants to heat homes. The second is metallurgical coal which is used by steel plants to produce steel. Each one has been affected by different market dynamics that delivered a two-prong hit to the entire coal industry.

    Thermal coal has been hit by cheap natural more »

  • Rails Turning on to Natural Gas

    By Howard Rothman - May 13, 2013 | Tickers: BRK-B, CNI, CSX, NSC, UNP

    Driving that train, high on… natural gas? Granted, it isn’t as catchy as the Grateful Dead original. But if major North American freight railroads keep moving as they are, this could be the version many are singing well into the 21st century.

    Freight railroads have never been very exciting. They operate much the same today as they have for more than a century, and few of us think about more »

  • How Is This Company Pleased With Its Performance?

    By Chad Henage - May 6, 2013 | Tickers: CSX, NSC, UNP

    I understand the need for companies to put on a good front and say that they are pleased with the work of their employees. However, sometimes a CEO needs to step up and just tell it like it is. Unfortunately for Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC) investors, this isn't happening. The reality is, this company is doing worse than their competition by three different metrics, and management isn't owning more »

  • Which Is the Best of the Railroads?

    By Robert Ciura - May 3, 2013 | Tickers: CSX, NSC, UNP

    Railroads are often seen as a bellwether for the broader economy because of the amount of retail and manufactured goods they transport across the nation. Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC) operates approximately 20,000 route miles in 22 states and serves every major container port in the eastern United States. CSX (NYSE: CSX) serves major markets in the eastern United States and has access to over 70 ocean, river and lake more »

  • The "Monopoly Man" Had It Right: Competition Stinks!

    By Adem Tahiri - May 1, 2013 | Tickers: CMG, CSX, NSC, UNP, YUM

    Whether you preferred the thimble, the shoe, or the top hat, Monopoly was a childhood game that many of us enjoyed. And while the "get out of jail free" card was fun, the best part of the game was owning multiple properties, building hotels and houses, and jacking up rents. 

    We can reclaim some of that childhood nostalgia by investing in "monopoly" stocks--companies that have relatively few investors. Monopoly stocks more »

  • There Is No One Better in This Industry

    By Chad Henage - April 27, 2013 | Tickers: CSX, NSC, UNP

    When you compare the company to its peers, and find that they are the best at many performance metrics, it's a good bet the stock will perform well. Unless the whole industry is in decline, a company that outperforms its peers, gives an investor some comfort when the market's waters get rough. If you are looking for the leader in the railroad industry, look no further than Union more »

  • 5 Ways This Company Is Getting Back on Track

    By Chad Henage - April 24, 2013 | Tickers: CSX, NSC, UNP

    Many investors pay a lot of money for magazine subscriptions, newsletters, and other research to try and determine the direction of the economy. In truth, most of these could probably be replaced by the ownership of just one railroad stock. I've argued in the past that railroad earnings reports are like a multi-industry cheat sheet. One example is CSX (NYSE: CSX), which gives investors great information about the economy more »

  • Not Impressed With the CSX Buyback Plan

    By Mark Holder - April 22, 2013 | Tickers: CSX, NSC, UNP

    The purpose of a stock buyback plan should be to utilize excess cash to buy a significantly undervalued asset. In this case, the undervalued asset is the stock of the company involved. In order to even announce a buyback, the stock should be significantly cheap on a historical basis and future earnings expectations. For the stock to be significantly cheap, the company should be in a position that existing cash more »

  • Power of Pricing Helps Railroads Grow Profits

    By Michael Hooper - April 18, 2013 | Tickers: CNI, CP, CSX, KSU, NSC, UNP

    First-quarter results for CSX Corporation (NYSE: CSX) and Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP) show these railroads were able to grow earnings despite little or no growth in carloads in the first quarter.

    Union Pacific’s first-quarter business volumes, as measured by total revenue carloads, decreased 2% compared to 2012.  Volume declines in coal and agricultural products more than offset growth in chemicals, intermodal and automotive shipments.  

    Union Pacific raised prices more »

  • Now Boarding: Companies With Impenetrable Barriers to Entry

    By Wes Patoka - April 17, 2013 | Tickers: BRK-B, NSC, UNP

    Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) and Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC) are two companies facing very little competition from upstarts. Transportation with efficient rail cars will see their great competitive advantages continue against trucking companies as the price of gasoline and diesel remain high.

    The railroad business is immense on this continent and hauls diverse cargo loads. With more than 173,000 miles of track in North America, and 150,000 miles more »

  • Railroads to Report First Quarter Earnings: What to Expect

    By Michael Hooper - April 17, 2013 | Tickers: CNI, CP, CSX, KSU, NSC, UNP

    Railroads will report  mixed results for first-quarter earnings. The railroads' energy shipments were up over 50% in the first quarter, but shipments of coal, grain and metallic ores were down. Total traffic through the first 13 weeks of the year climbed a modest 0.7%, according to the Association of American Railroads.

    Kansas City Southern (NYSE: KSU) will be the first to report earnings on Friday.

    A review of traffic more »

  • Railroads: A Value Pick and a Growth Pick for Keeps

    By Piyush Arora - April 15, 2013 | Tickers: CNI, CP, NSC

    For a long time, the future of railroad companies has been tied down to coal demand in the U.S. But, the shale gas boom in North America has presented natural gas as a cheap and eco-friendly alternative for coal. Although coal demand in the U.S is slumping, developing countries like India and China are rapidly moving towards coal gasification plants, and their coal requirement is increasing faster than more »

  • Now Boarding: Companies with Impenetrable Barriers to Entry

    By Wes Patoka - April 14, 2013 | Tickers: BRK-B, NSC, UNP

    Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) and Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC) are two companies facing very little competition from upstarts. Transportation with efficient rail cars will see their great competitive advantages continue against trucking companies as the price of gasoline and diesel remain high. The railroad business is immense on this continent and hauls diverse cargo loads. With more than 173,000 miles of track in North America, and 150,000 miles more »

  • Hello Railroad Investors - Forget Coal

    By Zain Abbas - April 14, 2013 | Tickers: CSX, NSC, UNP

    Railroad investors have long been crying for coal volumes and how a secular decline in the coal demand has devastated the railroad industry. However, amid this lamentation, many haven’t realized that these stocks have moved up more 20% since the start of the year, as shown by the graph below:

    What has caused this upward movement? Well, those who closely follow railroad industry surely know that the shale gas more »

  • 3 Reasons to Invest in Railroads

    By Andrés Cardenal - April 3, 2013 | Tickers: CNI, CP, CSX, NSC, UNP

    The railroad industry has gained attention from analysts and investors over the last couple of years, even investing superstar Warren Buffett made a big move in this sector by purchasing Burlington Northern in 2010 for nearly $44 billion. In case you were wondering, it´s not too late to hop on the train.

    1. Competitive Advantages

    If there is one thing Buffett likes to see in a company is a more »

  • Wisdom From Warren Buffett That is Especially Relevant Today

    By Robert Ciura - April 1, 2013 | Tickers: XOM, MAT, NSC

    While rising equity markets are good for obvious reasons, it’s generally bittersweet for value investors. Those who insist on never paying more for a stock than what they perceive to be its intrinsic value are constantly on the lookout for good deals. In times like these in which markets rise and break through new highs, a certain sense of reservation sets in.

    While it’s critical to always understand more »

  • 5 Dividend Winners for This Market

    By Adem Tahiri - March 28, 2013 | Tickers: CSX, GIS, NSC, OLN, POT

    Dividends are the stock market's great safety net. No matter what turbulence the market may bring, cash in your pocket will always be in-style. The trick to getting dividend investing right is to pick companies that have strong yields and good prospects, so they can increase the dividend. Look for stocks with these two characteristics:

    1. A low pay-out ratio. This is the percentage of cash a company pays to more »
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