Activist push benefits CN investors

Article Excerpt

Regulatory opposition ended CN Rail’s bid to acquire U.S. railway Kansas City Southern (KCS) for $33.6 billion U.S. in September 2021. KCS eventually accepted a deal from CP Rail. CN’s failure attracted the criticism of U.K.-based activist investor TCI Fund Management Ltd. It owns 5.2% of the company’s shares. Thanks to that pressure, CN announced a new cost saving plan, as well as a big dividend increase and share buyback plan. Both of those bode well for future growth. CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY CO. $153 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol CNR; Conservative-Growth Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 699.8 million; Market cap: $107.1 billion; Dividend yield: 1.9%; Divd. Sustainability Rating: Highest; www.cn.ca) operates Canada’s largest railway. Its 32,200-kilometre network stretches across the country and extends to the U.S. Midwest and Gulf Coast. The railway’s wide geographic reach reduces its reliance on any single region; that lowers risk for investors. In 2021, 18% of CN’s revenue came from Canadian domestic traffic; 16% from U.S. domestic…