Free trade deals will boost CN

Article Excerpt

Canadian Pacific Railway is our #1 buy for 2012. However, we also have a high opinion of its larger rival, Canadian National Railway. CN has thrived since it became a public company in 1995, thanks to a series of acquisitions that greatly expanded its U.S. operations. That has helped CN profit from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which spurred a rapid rise in trade volumes between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. CN is now in a strong position to gain from rising trade with Asia. Moreover, the company’s ongoing focus on improving its efficiency should keep fuelling its earnings growth and give it more cash for dividends. CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY CO. $84 (Toronto symbol CNR; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 438.7 million; Market cap: $36.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.1; Dividend yield: 1.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.cn.ca) operates the largest freight-rail network in Canada, with access to major ports such as Vancouver, Montreal and Halifax. It also…