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6 Reasons Why Investors Should Buy Canadian National (CNI)

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Canadian National Railway Company (CNI - Free Report) continues to benefit from solid freight demand, improved pricing environment and shareholder-friendly moves.

Against this backdrop, let’s look at the factors that make this stock an attractive pick.

What Makes Canadian National an Attractive Pick?

An Outperformer: A glimpse at the company’s price trend reveals that the stock has had an impressive run on the bourse over the past year. Shares of Canadian National have gained 15.5% over the past year, outperforming the 5.7% surge of the industry it belongs to.

Zacks Investment Research
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Solid Zacks Rank: Canadian National has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Our research shows that stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or #2 offer the best investment opportunities. Thus, the company is a compelling investment proposition at the moment. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Northward Estimate Revisions:The direction of estimate revisions serves as an important pointer when it comes to the price of a stock. Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Canadian National’s third-quarter 2022 earnings has moved up 3.3% year over year to $1.56. For 2022 and 2023, the company’s earnings have increased 3.9% and 2.1% year over year, respectively.

Positive Earnings Surprise History: Canadian National has an impressive earnings surprise history. The company delivered an earnings surprise of 6.7% in the last four quarters, on average.

Earnings Expectations: Earnings growth and stock price gains often indicate a company’s prospects. For third-quarter 2022, Canadian National’s earnings are expected to register 28.9% growth. For 2022 and 2023, the company’s earnings are expected to grow at 18.6% and 10.4%, year over year, respectively. The company has a long-term earnings growth rate of 11.4%.

Growth Factors:Strong freight demand and solid pricing environment are driving Canadian National’s growth. Higher freight revenues at Petroleum and Chemicals; Metals and minerals; Coal, Intermodal; and Automotive segments boosted the company’s top line in the second quarter. Anticipating strong freight market conditions to continue, Canadian National expects adjusted earnings to increase 15-20% year over year in 2022. We are also impressed by the company's efforts to reward its shareholders through dividend payments and share buybacks.

Other Stocks to Consider

Some other top-ranked stocks in the broader Zacks Transportation sector that investors can consider are GATX Corporation (GATX - Free Report) , Triton International Limited and Teekay Tankers Ltd. (TNK - Free Report) , each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 as well.

GATX Corporation has an expected earnings growth rate of 17.8% for the current year. GATX delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 28.9%, on average.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GATX’s current-year earnings has improved 2.1% over the past 90 days. Shares of GATX have gained 16% over the past year.

Triton has an expected earnings growth rate of 22.4% for the current year. TRTN delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 7.5%, on average.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TRTN’s current-year earnings has improved 4.2% over the past 90 days. Shares of TRTN have gained 21.5% over the past year.

Teekay Tankers has an expected earnings growth rate of 140.1% for the current year. TNK delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 46.1%, on average.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TNK’s current-year earnings has improved more than 100% over the past 90 days. Shares of TNK have gained 122.6% over the past year.


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