cn rail

From the time the last spike was driven to complete the new railway in 1885, Canadian



Pacific has been an essential part of Canada’s history, transportation and business life....

CGI GROUP INC., $57.32, Toronto symbol GIB.A, is Canada’s largest provider of computer-outsourcing services. It helps its clients automate certain routine functions such as accounting and buying supplies. That makes companies more efficient and lets them focus on their main businesses. In its 2016 second quarter, which ended March 31, 2016, CGI earned $268.3 million. That’s a 6.8% increase from the $251.2 million it earned a year earlier. Per-share profits gained 10.3%, to $0.86 from $0.78, on fewer shares outstanding. That missed the consensus estimate of $0.88. In the latest quarter, higher revenue in France, the U.K. and parts of Asia offset declining contributions from CGI’s U.S. defense clients. Revenue improved 5.7%, to $2.75 billion from $2.60 billion. The consensus forecast had been $2.74 billion. The weaker Canadian dollar also helped to lift revenue, contributing an extra $173.7 million....

CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY CO. $81 (Toronto symbol CNR; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 786.4 million; Market cap: $63.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 5.0; 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. The company has agreed to repurchase up to 11.2 million of its shares from a private seller at a discount to the market price. It aims to complete this transaction by September 9, 2016. The move is part of CN’s plan to buy back up to 33.0 million of its common shares, or roughly 5% of the total outstanding, by October 29, 2016. Share buybacks raise earnings per share and other per-share calculations. That gives the remaining shareholders a larger stake in the company....

CAE INC. $15 (Toronto symbol CAE; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 269.9 million; Market cap: $4.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.6; Dividend yield: 2.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.cae.com) is a leading maker of flight simulators and operator of pilot-training schools in over 30 countries. The company recently won several contracts for flight simulators and related equipment from military clients in Canada, the U.S., the U.K. and Australia. In all, these deals are worth $175 million, or 7% of the company’s $2.4 billion of annual revenue. CAE’s military businesses supply 35% of its sales. That cuts its reliance on cyclical commercial airlines....

FORTIS INC., $36.20, Toronto symbol FTS, has agreed to buy ITC Holdings Corp. (New York symbol ITC), which owns 25,100 kilometres of high-voltage power lines in Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma. The company is paying $6.9 billion U.S. in cash and shares for ITC. Following the acquisition, ITC shareholders will own 27% of the combined company. Fortis will also list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange; its shares will continue to trade in Toronto. If you include ITC’s $4.4-billion U.S. debt, the total purchase price is $11.3 billion U.S. (or $15.7 billion Canadian). That’s roughly 1.5 times Fortis’s current market cap (the value of all outstanding shares) of $10.3 billion....

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ATCO LTD. (Toronto symbols ACO.X [class I non-voting] $35 and ACO.Y [class II voting] $35; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 115.1 million; Market cap: $4.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.0; Dividend yield: 3.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.atco.com) has sold its ATCO Emissions Management subsidiary for an undisclosed sum. This business helps producers of oil, gas and electricity reduce air and noise pollution. Small deals like this help simplify ATCO’s complex holding company structure, which should enhance its long-term value. The class I (X) non-voting shares are more liquid than the class II (Y) voting shares....

CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY CO. $74 (Toronto symbol CNR; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 792.7 million; Market cap: $58.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.6; Dividend yield: 1.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.cn.ca) operates Canada’s largest railway. Its 32,200- kilometre network stretches across the country and through the U.S. Midwest to the Gulf of Mexico. CN saw a big jump in the number of goods shipped after the 2008/09 recession. That’s the main reason why its revenue soared 46.2%, from $8.3 billion in 2010 to $12.1 billion in 2014. That figure probably rose to $13.4 billion in 2015. Earnings gained 56.9%, from $2.0 billion in 2010 to $3.1 billion in 2014. CN is an aggressive buyer of its own shares. As a result, its earnings per share soared 79.0%, from $2.10 to $3.76....

BOMBARDIER INC., Toronto symbols BBD.A $1.50 and BBD.B $1.42, announced this week that it will form a new joint venture with the government of Quebec.

Under the deal, the government pay $1.0 billion for 49.5% of a partnership that will own the CSeries passenger jet business (all amounts except share prices in U.S. dollars). Bombardier will own the remaining 50.5%.

The company is also giving Quebec warrants to buy up to 200 million class B subordinate voting shares at the U.S. dollar equivalent of $2.21 (Canadian) each. The warrants expire in five years. If Quebec exercises all of them, the extra shares would equal 8.18% of the total class A and B shares currently outstanding.

Bombardier has also promised to keep its headquarters and CSeries plants in Quebec for the next 20 years.

The cash from this sale will help Bombardier finish certifying the CSeries; flight tests are now 97% complete. Quebec’s backing should also help attract more buyers. The company has firm orders for 243 CSeries planes but hasn’t received any new orders in the past year.

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Though it has slowed with the economy, we still rate CP Rail as a true blue chip stock. We like its ability to unlock hidden value.