CSX CorpCSXCOMMENTMay 13, 2016Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Jun 04, 2026. Market Open.
It broke out last December. After consolidating, it's breaking out again. For traders, he likes $43, the rising 50-day average, at a minimum will lock in a gain but allow you to stay in the stock long enough. For investors, $43-44 is support and will take out $47. There's earnings growth. Will pass $50.
The market is speculating if CSX will merge with another railroad, but CS has only 3 years under this president to do it, since another president likely won't give that much latitude to an already-concentrated industry. And the Norfolk Southern-Union Pacific is hitting speed bumps. He wouldn't buy CSX based on takeover speculation, but on improving business. Yesterday's quarter: a modest top and bottom line miss, but strong operating metrics and a 1% YOY volume increase and offered a positive full-year forecast including revenue growth and operating margin expansion. CSX will do fine in a stagnant economy and be a big winner if the economy picks up.
Prefers Union Pacific (UNP-N) in the US, and Canadian Pacific (CP-T) in Canada. There is not much difference between the 2 Canadian rails, but CP is trading a little cheaper. Union Pacific is trading at 16X. The trouble with the Eastern rails is that they are shorter hauls. Efficiencies in rails come with longer hauls. All US rails are beset with coal. Intermodal is where they have tried to grow the business.