CSX Corporation - 10-Q quarterly report FY2015 Q1

In addition to CSXT, the Company’s subsidiaries include CSX Intermodal Terminals, Inc. (“CSX Intermodal Terminals”), Total Distribution Services, Inc. (“TDSI”), Transflo Terminal Services, Inc. (“Transflo”), CSX Technology, Inc. (“CSX Technology”) and other subsidiaries. CSX Intermodal Terminals owns and operates a system of intermodal terminals, predominantly in the eastern United States and also performs drayage services (the pickup and delivery of intermodal shipments) for certain CSXT customers and trucking dispatch operations. TDSI serves the automotive industry with distribution centers and storage locations. Transflo connects non-rail served customers to the many benefits of rail by transferring products from rail to trucks. Today, the biggest Transflo markets are chemicals and agriculture, which include shipments of plastics and ethanol. CSX Technology and other subsidiaries provide support services for the Company.

    

CSX’s other holdings include CSX Real Property, Inc., a subsidiary responsible for the Company’s real estate sales, leasing, acquisition and management and development activities. These activities are classified in other income - net because they are not considered to be operating activities of the Company. Results of these activities fluctuate with the timing of real estate transactions.

In the opinion of management, the accompanying consolidated financial statements contain all normal, recurring adjustments necessary to fairly present the following:

Pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), certain information and disclosures normally included in the notes to the annual financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) have been omitted from these interim financial statements. CSX suggests that these financial statements be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and the notes included in CSX's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequently filed current reports on Form 8-K.

    

The following table sets forth the computation of basic earnings per share and earnings per share, assuming dilution:

Basic earnings per share is based on the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding. Earnings per share, assuming dilution, is based on the weighted-average number of shares of common stock equivalents outstanding adjusted for the effects of common stock that may be issued as a result of potentially dilutive instruments. CSX's potentially dilutive instruments are made up of equity awards, which include long-term incentive awards.

Under CSX's share-based compensation plans, awards primarily consist of performance grants, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units and stock grants for directors. Awards granted under the various programs are determined and approved by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors or, in certain circumstances, by the Chief Executive Officer for awards to management employees other than senior executives. The Board of Directors approves awards granted to the Company's non-management directors upon recommendation of the Governance Committee.

Both performance units and restricted stock units require participants to be employed through the final day of the respective vesting period except in the case of death, disability or retirement. For information related to the Company's other outstanding long-term incentive compensation, see CSX's most recent annual report on Form 10-K.

Total pre-tax expense associated with all share-based compensation and the related income tax benefit are as follows:

Casualty, environmental and other reserves are considered critical accounting estimates due to the need for significant management judgment. They are provided for in the consolidated balance sheets as follows:

CSXT retains an independent actuary to assist management in assessing the value of personal injury claims. An analysis is performed by the actuary quarterly and is reviewed by management. The methodology used by the actuary includes a development factor to reflect growth or reduction in the value of these personal injury claims. It is based largely on CSXT's historical claims and settlement experience.

Occupational claims arise from allegations of exposures to certain materials in the workplace, such as solvents, soaps, chemicals (collectively referred to as “irritants”) and diesel fuels (like exhaust fumes) or allegations of chronic physical injuries resulting from work conditions, such as repetitive stress injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome and hearing loss. The Company is also party to a number of asbestos claims by employees alleging exposure to asbestos in the workplace.

    

Occupational and asbestos claims are analyzed by an independent actuary or specialist, respectively, in order to determine the number of unasserted, or incurred but not reported (“IBNR”), claims. Occupational claims analyses are performed by the actuary quarterly and are reviewed by management. Since exposure to asbestos has been substantially eliminated, management reviews asserted asbestos claims quarterly and the review by the specialist is completed annually.

    

The actuary and specialist analyze CSXT’s historical claim filings, settlement amounts, and dismissal rates to determine future anticipated claim filing rates and average settlement values for occupational and asbestos claims reserves. The potentially exposed population is estimated by using CSXT’s employment records and industry data. From this analysis, the actuary and specialist provide estimates of the IBNR claims liabilities.

In any such proceedings, the Company is subject to environmental clean-up and enforcement actions under the Superfund Law, as well as similar state laws that may impose joint and several liability for clean-up and enforcement costs on current and former owners and operators of a site without regard to fault or the legality of the original conduct. These costs could be substantial.

    

Based on the review process, the Company has recorded amounts to cover contingent anticipated future environmental remediation costs with respect to each site to the extent such costs are estimable and probable. The recorded liabilities for estimated future environmental costs are undiscounted. The liability includes future costs for remediation and restoration of sites as well as any significant ongoing monitoring costs, but excludes any anticipated insurance recoveries. Payments related to these liabilities are expected to be made over the next several years. Environmental remediation costs are included in materials, supplies and other on the consolidated income statement.

Currently, the Company does not possess sufficient information to reasonably estimate the amounts of additional liabilities, if any, on some sites until completion of future environmental studies. In addition, conditions that are currently unknown could, at any given location, result in additional exposure, the amount and materiality of which cannot presently be reasonably estimated. Based upon information currently available, however, the Company believes its environmental reserves accurately reflect the cost of remedial actions currently required.

In June 2012, the District Court certified the case as a class action. The decision was not a ruling on the merits of plaintiffs' claims, but rather a decision to allow the plaintiffs to seek to prove the case as a class. The defendant railroads petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit for permission to appeal the District Court's class certification decision. In August 2013, the D.C. Circuit issued a decision vacating the class certification decision and remanded the case to the District Court to reconsider its class certification decision. In October 2013, the District Court held a case management conference to determine the scope and schedule of the remand proceedings, which are underway. The District Court has delayed proceedings on the merits of the case pending the outcome of the class certification remand proceedings.

CSXT believes that its fuel surcharge practices were arrived at and applied lawfully and that the case is without merit. Accordingly, the Company intends to defend itself vigorously. However, penalties for violating antitrust laws can be severe, and an unexpected adverse decision on the merits could have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial condition, results of operations or liquidity in that particular period or for the full year.

The Company sponsors defined benefit pension plans principally for salaried, management personnel.  For employees hired prior to January 1, 2003, the plans provide eligible employees with retirement benefits based predominantly on years of service and compensation rates near retirement.  For employees hired in 2003 or thereafter, benefits are determined based on a cash balance formula, which provides benefits by utilizing interest and pay credits based upon age, service and compensation. 

In addition to these plans, the Company sponsors a post-retirement medical plan and a life insurance plan that provide benefits to full-time, salaried, management employees, hired prior to January 1, 2003, upon their retirement if certain eligibility requirements are met.  Medicare-eligible retirees are covered by a health reimbursement arrangement, which is an employer-funded account that can be used for reimbursement of eligible medical expenses. Non-Medicare eligible retirees are covered by a self-insured program partially funded by participating retirees.  The life insurance plan is non-contributory.

The Company engages independent actuaries to compute the amounts of liabilities and expenses relating to these plans subject to the assumptions that the Company selects.  These amounts are reviewed by management.  The following table describes the components of expense / (income) related to net benefit expense recorded in labor and fringe on the income statement.

Various inputs are considered when determining the value of the Company's investments, pension plan assets and long-term debt. The inputs or methodologies used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in these securities. These inputs are summarized in the three broad levels listed below.

The valuation methods described below may produce a fair value calculation that may not be indicative of net realizable value or reflective of future fair values. Furthermore, while the Company believes its valuation methods are appropriate and consistent with other market participants, the use of different methodologies or assumptions to determine the fair value of certain financial instruments could result in a different fair value measurement at the reporting date.

    

These investments have the following maturities:

The fair value of outstanding debt fluctuates with changes in a number of factors. Such factors include, but are not limited to, interest rates, market conditions, values of similar financial instruments, size of the transaction, cash flow projections and comparable trades. Fair value will exceed carrying value when the current market interest rate is lower than the interest rate at which the debt was originally issued. The fair value of a company's debt is a measure of its current value under present market conditions. It does not impact the financial statements under current accounting rules.

The fair value and carrying value of the Company's long-term debt is as follows:

While total comprehensive earnings is the activity in a period and is largely driven by net earnings in that period, accumulated other comprehensive income or loss (“AOCI”) represents the cumulative balance of other comprehensive income, net of tax, as of the balance sheet date. For CSX, AOCI is primarily the cumulative balance related to pension and other post-retirement benefit adjustments and CSX's share of AOCI of equity method investees.

Changes in the AOCI balance by component are shown in the table below. Amounts reclassified in pension and other post-employment benefits to net earnings relate to the amortization of actuarial losses and are included in labor and fringe on the consolidated income statements. See Note 6. Employee Benefit Plans for further information. Other primarily represents CSX's share of AOCI of equity method investees. Amounts reclassified in other to net earnings are included in materials, supplies and other on the consolidated income statements.

In 2007, CSXT, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CSX Corporation, sold secured equipment notes maturing in 2023 in a registered public offering. CSX has fully and unconditionally guaranteed the notes. In connection with the notes, the Company is providing the following condensed consolidating financial information in accordance with SEC disclosure requirements. Each entity in the consolidating financial information follows the same accounting policies as described in the consolidated financial statements, except for the use of the equity method of accounting to reflect ownership interests in subsidiaries which are eliminated upon consolidation and the allocation of certain expenses of CSX incurred for the benefit of its subsidiaries. Condensed consolidating financial information for the obligor, CSXT, and parent guarantor, CSX, is shown in the tables below.