Resilient CN is rising for investors

Article Excerpt

CN’s shares are up over 40% since March despite COVID-19 disruptions. That’s because the pandemic continues to highlight the huge importance of railways to Canada’s economic health. As well, the company benefits from being the only major North American railway to serve three coasts. That means its customers only have to deal with one railway instead of transferring their goods between regional firms. Ongoing upgrades to CN’s equipment also continue to spur efficiency gains and investor value. CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY CO. $136 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol CNR; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 709.8 million; Market cap: $96.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 6.8; 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 passes through the U.S. Midwest to the Gulf of Mexico. Ottawa nationalized the company in 1922, as railways were critical to Canada’s early economic growth. More than 70 years later, in 1995, CN became a publicly traded company. The…