BRAZIL - 2020/03/24: In this photo illustration a Norfolk Southern logo seen displayed on a ... [+]
SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images[Updated 11/27/2020] Norfolk Southern Update
Last month, Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC) announced a joint venture - Rail Pulse - to adopt GPS and other telematics technology, which will help in real-time track level visibility and total load visibility among other benefits. The aim is to provide enhanced safety and service to shippers. This will help strengthen Norfolk Southern’s Intermodal offering, which refers to the shipment of containers that can be moved from one form of transport to another. Currently, the trucking industry in the U.S. is running at a high capacity along with a rise in pricing, a trend that is expected to continue in the near term. Norfolk Southern is trying to woo shippers to use its Intermodal services as an alternative. The company has been focused on expanding its Intermodal offering, and it has also benefited from the tight capacity for the trucking industry, especially after the electronic logging device mandate full implementation in 2018. Norfolk Southern’s Intermodal segment revenues have grown 27% between 2016 and 2019, which compares with 12% growth for its Coal Freight segment, and a 10% growth for its Merchandise Freight segment. Diving a little deeper, Intermodal growth was driven by a mix of growth in both volume and pricing. With volume growing 9%, pricing rose 17% over the same period.
While the Rail Pulse platform will take more than a year to be operational, Norfolk Southern is still likely to see a better growth for its Intermodal segment, compared to the other two segments benefiting from capacity constraints in the trucking industry. That said, Norfolk Southern stock currently appears to be expensive in our view. NSC stock has risen 2x since March lows, and at the current price of $242, it is trading at 26x its 2020 expected EPS of $9.10, compared to levels of 16x and 19x seen in 2018 and 2019 respectively, implying the stock is vulnerable to downside risk. Our dashboard, Buy Or Sell Norfolk Southern Stock, provides more details.
[Updated 10/25/2020] Norfolk Southern Stock Price Move
After an 82% rise since the March 23 lows of this year, at the current price of around $217 per share we believe Norfolk Southern’s stock (NYSE: NSC) has reached its near-term potential. NSC stock has rallied from $119 to $217 off the recent bottom compared to the S&P which moved 54%, with the resumption of economic activities as lockdowns are gradually lifted. NSC stock is also up roughly 60% from levels seen in early 2018, two years ago.
NSC stock is 4% above the levels it was at before the drop in February due to the coronavirus outbreak becoming a pandemic. This seems to make it fully valued as, in reality, demand and revenues will likely be lower than last year.
Some of the rise of the last 2 years is justified by the roughly 7.1% growth seen in Norfolk Southern’s revenues from 2017 to 2019. While the company’s Net Margins on a GAAP basis contracted from 51.2% to 24.1%, margins were higher in 2017 due to one-time tax adjustments related to changes in the tax law. On an adjusted basis, Norfolk Southern’s margins actually improved from 18.2% to 24.1%.
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With the steady revenue and earnings growth over recent years, Norfolk Southern’s P/E multiple has also expanded. We believe the stock is vulnerable to downside risk after the recent rally and the potential weakness from a recession driven by the Covid outbreak. Our dashboard - What Factors Drove 59% Change in Norfolk Southern Stock between 2017 and now? - has the underlying numbers.
Norfolk Southern’s P/E multiple changed from 7x in 2017 to 18x in 2019. While the company’s P/E is now 21x, there is a downside risk when the current P/E is compared to levels seen in the past years. P/E of 15x at the end of 2018 and 18x as recently as late 2019.
So what’s the likely trigger and timing for downside?
Trefis
The global spread of Covid-19 has meant restrictions on movement, resulting in lower demand for power, and in turn, lower demand for coal. While the electricity consumption is expected to decline 2% in the US in 2020, the coal production is estimated to plunge 26% [1]. Norfolk Southern’s coal freight revenue plunged 55% to $209 million in Q2 2020 and it is down 44% to $507 million for the first half of 2020. Other than coal, the company’s merchandise freight revenue was down 26% due to a massive 63% drop in automotive freight, impacted by the lockdowns imposed during the period. We currently forecast a 14% decline in total sales for 2020. Norfolk Southern’s earnings will likely see a similar decline.
The actual recovery and its timing hinge on the broader containment of the coronavirus spread. Our dashboard Trends In U.S. Covid-19 Cases provides an overview of how the pandemic has been spreading in the U.S. and contrasts with trends in Brazil and Russia. Following the Fed stimulus — which set a floor on fear — the market has been willing to “look through” the current weak period and take a longer-term view. With investors focusing their attention on 2021 results, the valuations become important in finding value. Though market sentiment can be fickle, and evidence of an uptick in new cases could spook investors once again. At the current price of $215, NSC stock is trading at 25x the 2020 earnings estimate of $8.70 per share, and 20x the 2021 earnings estimate of $10.70, compared to levels of 15x and 18x seen in 2018 and 2019 respectively, making the stock vulnerable to downside risk.
Trefis
What if you’re looking for a more balanced portfolio instead? Here’s a high quality portfolio to beat the market, with over 100% return since 2016, versus 55% for the S&P 500. Comprised of companies with strong revenue growth, healthy profits, lots of cash, and low risk, it has outperformed the broader market year after year, consistently.
See all Trefis Price Estimates and Download Trefis Data here
What’s behind Trefis? See How It’s Powering New Collaboration and What-Ifs For CFOs and Finance Teams | Product, R&D, and Marketing Teams
The Link LonkNovember 27, 2020 at 07:30PM
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What's Happening With Norfolk Southern Stock? - Forbes
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