Topic: How To Invest

What is Pat's commentary for the week of December 11, 2012?

Article Excerpt

One key part of our three-part investment strategy is to downplay stocks that are in the broker-media limelight. The problem with the limelight is that raises investor expectations. When stocks fail to live up to those heightened expectations, as some inevitably do, downturns can be sudden, brutal and, sometimes, permanent. However, some stocks deserve a longer stretch in the limelight than others. CP is one of them. Canadian Pacific Railway, $99.64, symbol CP on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 173.1 million; Market cap: $17.2 billion; www.cpr.ca), transports freight between Montreal and Vancouver and connects with hubs in the U.S. midwest and northeast. In June 2012, prominent U.S. hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management (which holds 14.2% of the company’s shares) successfully installed Hunter Harrison, Canadian National Railway’s former chief executive, as CP’s CEO. CN appointed Hunter Harrison as its president and CEO on January 1, 2003, and he served in those positions until his retirement on December 31, 2009. During his tenure at CN, Mr. Harrison…