Strong growth lies ahead for these leaders

Article Excerpt

CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY $227.74 (Toronto symbol CP; shares outstanding: 147.7 million; Market cap: $33.7 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 1.0%; www.cpr.ca) ships freight over a 22,000-kilometre rail network between Montreal and Vancouver, with links to hubs in the U.S. In the quarter ended December 31, 2017, revenue rose 4.6%, to $1.71 billion from $1.64 billion a year earlier. Higher revenue from shipping oil, metals, minerals and potash helped offset declines in fertilizers (other than potash), grain and automotive equipment. Earnings in the quarter rose 4.7%, to $469 million from $448 million. Due to fewer shares outstanding, per-share earnings gained 5.9%, to $3.22 from $3.04. Those figures exclude unusual items, among them a $527 million tax recovery because of changes in the U.S. tax code. The company 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 quarter also improved to 56.1% from 56.2%…