Clarence Gooden
Analyst · JP Morgan
Thank you, Michael, and good morning, everyone. As the economy began its second year of growth, positive trends continued to support growth across the businesses that we serve. According to the Federal Reserve, industrial production finished the year by rising in December by more than it had since July. In addition, the manufacturing sector continued to expand for a 17th consecutive month as reflected in our reading of 57 for their latest Institute for Supply Management's index. These improving trends, combined with the value of our rail transportation product, led to a strong increase in volume experienced during the fourth quarter. As we continue to see growing demand for Rail Service, we remain focused on capturing the value of our services, and we continue to be committed to delivering an even safer and more reliable service product for our customers. Now let's turn to the next slide and review the results. Let me begin my discussion on this slide by reminding everyone that CSX follows a 52, 53 week fiscal year. As a result, CSX had an extra week in 2010. This resulted in 14 reporting weeks for the fourth quarter. As you can see in each of the charts on this slide, we are providing about a 14 week view, which includes the benefit of the extra week and a comparable 13 week view of our fourth quarter. In the chart on the left, after adjusting for the $171 million in revenue associated with the extra week, our fourth quarter revenue grew 14%. Looking at the two charts on the right, volume and revenue per unit both increased 7% after adjusting for the extra week. Let me underscore that these 13-week comparable results are non-GAAP financial measures that may provide you with a more meaningful comparison to future and prior quarterly results. Let me also refer you to the quarterly financial report, which presents both GAAP and non-GAAP results by individual markets. That said, the rest of my discussion today will be based on using that 13-week comparable quarter to give you a year-over-year view of our performance. Now let's look at the components of the change in revenue on Slide 8. On a comparable basis, CSX revenue increased 14% in the quarter due to volume growth, core pricing gains and the impact of higher fuel cost reflected in our fuel surcharge program. As you can see on the chart, volume increases drove $155 million of year-over-year revenue growth. Also, the combined effect of rate and mix accounted for $156 million of the increase, reflecting yield gains across all markets, as we continue to sell the value of CSX's service product and the relative value of rail transportation. Finally, as you look further to the right, the impact of higher fuel cost increased our fuel recovery $14 million in the quarter. Let's turn to the next slide and take a closer look at the volume growth. Looking to the far right-hand side of this chart, you can see that total volume increased 7% on a comparable basis versus the same period last year. This growth comes on top of stronger year-over-year comparisons in the fourth quarter of 2009, as U.S. rail shipments begin to recover in the second half of last year. This overall rate of growth is nearly twice the rate of the overall economy, with the primary driver being our Intermodal business, which continues to deliver double-digit growth on the strength of both our International and Core Domestic businesses. Now turning to Slide 10. Revenue per unit increased by 7%, driven by price, mix and increased fuel recovery. The largest component of the increase, same-store sales pricing, increased 6.2%. Recall, that same-store sales are defined as shipments with the same customer, commodity and car type, and the same argent [ph] and destination. These shipments represent approximately 75% of our total traffic base. In addition, increased fuel recovery had a positive effect on revenue per unit. As you look at the charts, you will also notice higher revenue per unit back in 2008. That resulted from even higher fuel prices that exist today. Finally, partially offsetting these two favorable the drivers was the effect of negative mix changes reflecting the strong growth and lower revenue per unit intermodal traffic and the continued impact from terminating a prior interline intermodal agreement in 2010. These improvements continue to reflect the substantial value CSX is providing to our customers, as well as the relative value of rail transportation. As such, looking forward, we continue to expect core price increases to exceed rail inflation on a sustainable basis. Now let's take a look at each of the major markets that we serve starting with coal. Coal revenue increased 26% driven by 5% increase in volume and an increase in revenue per unit. The increase in revenue per unit reflects an improvement in yield, higher fuel recovery and positive mix. Export coal grew year-over-year as demand was strong for U.S. metallurgical coal shipments to Europe and Asia. For the full year, CSX shipped just over 30 million tons of coal to the export market. On the domestic side, utility demand strengthened as utilities maintained stockpile levels, while experiencing increased burn rates, and the industrial sector also experienced growth, driven by stronger steel production. That said, the fourth quarter results were also negatively impacted by weather during the last month of the quarter. This has had a temporal impact, and it is expected to be made up moving forward. Looking at 2011, we expect to ship 35 million to 40 million tons of export coal driven by improving global demand and evolving supply constraints outside of the United States. As the impact of the unfortunate situation in Australia becomes more clear, where we are in that range will also become more clear. In addition, utility demand is expected to be favorable year-over-year, so electrical generation is expected to grow, and industrial demand for coal is also expected to increase, consistent with the ongoing economic growth. Now turning to our Intermodal results. Intermodal revenue decreased 1% as we continue to cycle the effects of terminating a prior interline intermodal agreement 2010, which also negatively impacted revenue per unit. International volumes grew again this quarter, up 31% due to stronger U.S. economy and due to new international customers gained as a result of our portfolio of service and network offerings. As a result of this strong growth, international volumes represented almost half of CSX's intermodal shipments for the quarter versus 40% in 2009. Domestic volumes shrank 3% year-over-year, consistent with what we saw in the third quarter. Without the year-over-year volume declines experienced by one of our largest private asset customers, we would've experienced growth in this sector, as well. Looking forward, we expect intermodal revenue growth for the year and to achieve record volumes in 2011. We continue to see strong demand to convert domestic freight off of the highway for the majority of our customer base, driven by tighter over-the-road truck capacity. In addition, the pace of imports remain strong, and we continue to see demand in new markets. CSX also expects to continue making gains in pricing across both lines of this business. Finally, we continue to make strategic investments in our growing Intermodal business, such as in our National Gateway initiative and our Northwest Ohio intermodal facility, which will open by the end of March. We expect all of these investments to continue driving long-term intermodal growth. Turning to the next slide, let's look at the merchandise markets. The merchandise markets show revenue growth across all three sectors. Within the agricultural sector, revenue growth was driven by yield and mix improvements that more than offset the decline in volume. Here, the declines in shipments of export feed ingredients and phosphates more than offset the increased shipments of feed, grain and food and consumer products. Within the industrial sector, all three markets had significant improvements in revenue. First, automotive shipments increased on growth in North American light vehicle production; second, metals volumes improved largely due to increases in scrap steel consumption; and third, the chemical market saw a growth in demand for intermediate products used in the manufacturing of automobiles and consumer goods. Finally, within the housing and construction sector, forest products volumes grew despite the weakness in construction-related markets. Growth in this sector was primarily driven by increased shipments of pulp board and paper used in packaging for consumer products, as well as an increase in volume associated with minerals and waste shipments. And turning to the next slide, let's look at the overall merchandise summary across these sectors. Merchandise revenue increased 12%, driven by a 4% increase in volume and a 7% higher revenue per unit. The volume growth was led by 18% growth year-over-year in Automotive, as well as a 8% growth in Metals. Revenue per unit increased due to high yields, some mix changes and increased fuel recovery. Looking toward the first quarter, we expect growth to continue across the steel and chemical markets as a result of the growing economy. And we expect demand for automobiles to continue. We also see the housing market beginning to stabilize. Finally, continued improvement in both consumer sentiment and personal income should support spending and growth across several markets. Now let me wrap up on the next slide. Looking ahead, we expect economic growth to continue. Discussions with our customers in key leading indicators suggest continued economic growth throughout 2011. With that as a backdrop, CSX's volume growth in 2011 is expected to exceed both gross domestic product and industrial production. As such, our first quarter volume outlook is favorable. Our network is well-positioned to handle this volume growth as we've handled these higher volumes in the past. And we are well-prepared to continue providing the service reliability required by our customers. At the same time, core pricing gains are expected to be broad-based and again exceed rail inflation, reflecting the value of CSX’s service product and the relative value of rail transportation. Given what we are accomplishing, we remain confident that CSX stands out as a compelling value for customers, especially as they seek transportation providers that also offer environmental solutions. Thank you. And now let me turn the presentation over to David to review our operating results