CP profits from efficiencies

Article Excerpt

CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY $197.99 (Toronto symbol CP; shares o/s: 147.7 million; Market cap: $28.6 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Yield: 1.1%; www.cpr.ca) reported revenue of $1.64 billion for the three months ended June 30, 2017. That’s up 13.3% from $1.45 billion a year earlier. Earnings per share jumped 35.1%, to $2.77 from $2.05. Higher revenue from the shipment of oil, metals, minerals, potash, grain and coal helped offset declines in fertilizers (other than potash), forestry products and automotive equipment. The company also continues to boost its efficiency with new locomotives and train tracks, and software to optimize its trainloads and speeds. Thanks to those investments, CP’s operating ratio in the latest quarter also improved to 58.7% from 62.0% a year earlier. (Operating ratio is calculated by dividing regular operating costs by revenue. The lower that ratio is, the better.) CP Rail is still a buy. buy…