Topic: Blue Chip Stocks

CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY CO. $77

CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY CO. $77 (Toronto symbol CNR; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 777.2 million; Market cap: $59.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.8; Dividend yield: 1.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.cn.ca) operates Canada’s largest railway. Its network stretches across the country and through the U.S. Midwest to the Gulf of Mexico.

Low prices for crude oil, coal, iron ore and other minerals have prompted commodity producers to slow their production and shipments. As a result, CN’s overall freight volumes fell 7.2% in the first quarter of 2016.

In response, the company now plans to spend $2.75 billion on new trains and other upgrades in 2016. That’s down from an earlier forecast of $2.9 billion. It may also cancel orders of new locomotives in 2017. That would save $400 million.

Moreover, CN continues to benefit from lower fuel costs. That’s largely why its operating ratio in the first quarter of 2016 improved to 58.9% from 65.7% a year ago. (Operating ratio is calculated by dividing regular operating costs by revenue. The lower the ratio, the better.)

The company will probably earn $4.49 a share in 2016. The stock trades at a reasonable 17.1 times that estimate. In addition, CN recently raised its dividend by 20.0%. The new annual rate of $1.50 yields 1.9%.

CN Rail is a buy.

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