CP

CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY $164.93 (Toronto symbol CP; Shares outstanding: 153.8 million; Market cap: $27.1 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 0.9%; www.cpr.ca) has revised its takeover offer for U.S.-based railway Norfolk Southern Corp. (New York symbol NSC) for a second time. Norfolk shareholders would still receive $32.86 U.S. a share in cash plus 0.451 of a CP share for each Norfolk share held. That would give them 47% of the combined company, compared to 41% under CP’s initial offer. Under the new bid, Norfolk shareholders would also get 0.451 of a contingent value right. Each CVR entitles the holder to a cash payment based on the combined firms’ share price, ranging from zero to a maximum of $25.00 U.S., by October 20, 2017. CP expects to list the CVRs on U.S. and Canadian stock exchanges....

This will be our last Inner Circle Q&A for 2015. Our next issue will go out on Tuesday, January 5, 2016.

Now is a good time for me to say “Thanks!” to all our Inner Circle members. It’s a pleasure to read and answer your questions. I take great pleasure and pride from the many compliments and expressions of gratitude you send every week.

That’s especially true when I hear from a member who I recognize from decades ago—from the early days after the 1994 launch of The Successful Investor, or from the two prior decades that I spent at The Investment Reporter and MPL Communications.

It’s also great to see that our Successful Investor philosophy and practice have begun attracting more and more younger investors.

I wish you all a great year-end holiday and a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year!

...

PLEASE NOTE: This is our last Hotline for 2015. Our next Hotline will go out on Friday, January 8, 2016. ENCANA CORP., $7.02, Toronto symbol ECA, fell 15% this week after cutting its dividend and 2016 capital spending plans. In response to the weak outlook for oil and natural gas, Encana has cut its quarterly payout by 78.6%, to $0.015 a share from $0.07 (all amounts except share price in U.S. dollars). The new annual rate of $0.06 yields 1.2%. Encana will also eliminate the 2% discount it offers to shareholders who reinvest their dividends in additional shares. In all, these moves will save it $185 million a year....

CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY LTD., $169.77, Toronto symbol CP, has revised its takeover offer for U.S.-based railway Norfolk Southern Corp. (New York symbol NSC). The combined firm would be North America’s largest railway, with more than 56,000 kilometres of track. Buying Norfolk would also give CP greater access to ports on the U.S. Gulf Coast and Atlantic Ocean. Under the new deal, Norfolk shareholders would receive more stock and less cash: $32.86 U.S. a share in cash plus 0.451 of a CP share for each Norfolk share held. That would give them 47% of the combined company, compared to 41% under the original offer....

CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY LTD. $175 (Toronto symbol CP; Conserva- tive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 152.9 million; Market cap: $26.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.9; Dividend yield: 0.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.cpr.ca) has revised its takeover offer for U.S.-based railway Norfolk Southern Corp. (New York symbol NSC). The combined firm would be North America’s largest railway, with more than 56,000 kilometres of track. Buying Norfolk would also give CP greater access to ports on the U.S. Gulf Coast and Atlantic Ocean. Under the new deal, Norfolk shareholders would receive more stock and less cash: $32.86 U.S. a share in cash plus 0.451 of a CP share. That would give them 47% of the combined company, compared to 41% under the original offer....

CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY LTD. $175 (Toronto symbol CP; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 152.9 million; Market cap: $26.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.9; Dividend yield: 0.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.cpr.ca) has revised its takeover offer for U.S.-based railway Norfolk Southern Corp. (New York symbol NSC). The combined firm would be North America’s largest railway, with more than 56,000 kilometres of track. Buying Norfolk would also give CP greater access to ports on the U.S. Gulf Coast and Atlantic Ocean. Under the new deal, Norfolk shareholders would receive more stock and less cash: $32.86 U.S. a share in cash plus 0.451 of a CP share. That would give them 47% of the combined company, compared to 41% under the original offer....

CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY $190.97 (Toronto symbol CP; Shares outstanding: 152.9 million; Market cap: $29.4 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Yield: 0.7%; www.cpr.ca) has offered to buy U.S. railway Norfolk Southern (New York symbol NSC). The combined company would be North America’s largest railway, with more than 56,000 kilometres of track. Buying Norfolk would also give CP greater access to ports on the U.S. Gulf Coast and Atlantic Ocean. Norfolk shareholders would receive $46.72 U.S. a share in cash and 0.348 of a CP share (or roughly 50% in cash and 50% in stock). That would give them 41% of the combined firm....

Canadian Pacific Railway, Toronto Symbol CP, is one of our long-time favourites. However, we also have a very high opinion of its larger rival, Canadian National Railway—one of North America’s most efficient railways, Toronto symbol CNR.

Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) transports freight over a rail network between Montreal and Vancouver. In the U.S., subsidiaries connect CP’s Canadian lines to major hubs in the Midwest and Northeast. Alliances with other railways extend its reach to Mexico.

Not only was CP our #1 stock pick for 2012, but we recommended CP in our very first issue of The Successful Investor in January 1995. At that time, CP held a variety of businesses beyond railways, such as hotels, coal, and oil and gas. We saw these as undervalued assets. In 2001, CP unlocked some of this hidden value by spinning off these businesses as separate firms....

CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY $181.50 (Toronto symbol CP; Shares outstanding: 161.0 million; Market cap: $27.8 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Yield: 0.8%; www.cpr.ca) ships freight over a 22,000-kilometre rail network between Montreal and Vancouver and links with hubs in the U.S. Midwest and northeast.

In the three months ended September 30, 2015, CP’s earnings per share rose 16.5%, to $2.69 from $2.31 a year earlier. Revenue increased 2.3%, to $1.71 billion from $1.67 billion.

CP’s operating ratio improved to a record 59.9% from 62.8% a year ago. (Operating ratio is calculated by dividing regular operating costs by revenue. The lower the ratio, the better.) It continues to benefit from its efficiency improvements, including speeding up trains. The company saw higher revenue from shipping forest products, potash, grain, chemicals and automotive products. But lower shipments of oil and metals offset these gains.

...

CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY LTD., $198.88, Toronto symbol CP, has offered to buy U.S.-based railway Norfolk Southern Corp. (New York symbol NSC). The combined firm would be North America’s largest railway, with more than 56,000 kilometres of track. Buying Norfolk would also give CP greater access to ports on the U.S. Gulf Coast and Atlantic Ocean. Norfolk shareholders would receive $46.72 U.S. a share in cash and 0.348 of a CP share (or roughly 50% in cash and 50% in stock). That would give them 41% of the combined company....