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Kansas City Southern Stock Down 4.9% in a Month: Here's Why

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Shares of Kansas City Southern have declined 4.9% in the past month against the industry’s loss of  5.1%.

Kansas City Southern, like most other railway stocks, has been hit hard by sharp drop in freight demand and supply chain disruptions due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Let’s discuss the reasons for such a disappointing price performance.

At an investors’ presentation, the company revealed that the second quarter of 2020 (results will be out on July 17.) has been “challenging” with volumes and revenues plunging 23% and 24% (from year-ago quarter’s levels,) respectively. The downside was caused by coronavirus-induced global economic slowdown. For the second quarter, Kansas City Southern anticipates revenues of approximately $550 million. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the same is pegged at $596.36 million.

In a bid to cut costs in the face of declining revenues, during the first half of 2020, the company made travel restrictions and limited the backfills of open positions. In the second half, it expects to roll out voluntary separation plans and reduce pays of senior leaders.

Also, Kansas City Southern has a significant exposure to Mexico. The rapid increase in coronavirus cases in the country is a concern that might lead to reduction in Mexican crew size.

Negative Estimate Revision & Momentum Score

The fact that the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2020 earnings has been revised 3.4% downward in the past 60 days is indicative of the pessimism surrounding this stock.

Moreover, the stock has a Momentum Score of D, highlighting its short-term unattractiveness.

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

Kansas City Southern currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

A few better-ranked stocks in the Zacks Transportation sector are Air Lease Corporation (AL - Free Report) , TFI International (TFII - Free Report) and Teekay Tankers Ltd. (TNK - Free Report) . All the stocks carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Long-term earnings (three to five years) growth rate for Air Lease, TFI International and Teekay Tankers is estimated at 3.1%, 4.1% and 3%, respectively.

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