CP’s five offspring give you wider choice

Article Excerpt

When Canadian Pacific broke itself up into five separate companies this year, it gave investors an opportunity to fine-tune their investments. PANCANADIAN ENERGY $40 (Toronto symbol PCE; SI Rating: Average), formerly PanCanadian Petroleum, was already one of our favourites. We also like these four new companies. But some are better choices for your portfolio than others. You need to consider their SI Ratings (they range from Above-average to Extra risk) and sector (Fording belongs in Resources; the others are in Manufacturing & Industry.) You also need to consider your other holdings, to avoid unwanted concentration in any one business. CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY LTD. $31 (Toronto symbol CP; SI Rating: Above average) operates a 14,000-mile railroad network that connects the main business centres of Canada and the U.S. Midwest and Northeast. Alliances with other railroads extend its reach to Mexico. Revenues between 1996 and 2000 hovered around $3.6 billion. Per-share profits jumped from $2.18 in 1996 to $2.98 in 1997, but fell to $2.29…