CN Rail remains a great pick

Article Excerpt

We continue to recommend all investors own at least one of Canada’s railways due to their importance to the national economy. While our top pick is Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. (Toronto symbol CP), we also like the outlook for its main rival, Canadian National. After CN failed in its attempt to buy U.S. railway Kansas City Southern in May 2021 (now part of CP), it launched a new growth plan to drive its long-term returns. These initiatives include adding capacity to the busy corridors in B.C. and Chicago, as well as upgrading its locomotive fleet. These moves are now paying off. Since it cancelled the Kansas City Southern takeover, CN’s stock has gained over 25%. What’s more, the company is using its strong cash flow to reward investors with rising dividends and share buybacks. CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY CO. $173 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol CNR; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing sector; Shares outstanding: 664.0 million; Market cap: $114.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 6.7; Dividend…