Use these railways as a portfolio cornerstone

Article Excerpt

The shares of Canada’s big two railways are both down since the start of 2022 on concerns that a possible economic slowdown could hurt their freight volumes. However, both should benefit as conditions remain favourable for a rebound in grain shipments in the second half of 2022 following last year’s drought. Demand for fertilizers also remains strong. Those benefits should offset rising fuel and labour costs. All investors should strive to own at least one of these stocks. CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY LTD. $93 is your #1 Conservative Buy for 2022. The company (Toronto symbol CP; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 929.9 million; Market cap: $86.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 8.6; Dividend yield: 0.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.cpr.ca) transports freight over a 23,700-kilometre rail network in Canada as well as the U.S. Midwest and Northeast. In December 2021, the company merged with U.S.-based railway Kansas City Southern. CP investors now own 72% of the combined company, with KCS shareholders holding the remaining 28%. CP…