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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 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 9% over the past three months, outperforming the 4.9% rise of the industry it belongs to.

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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 0.7% year over year to $1.56. For 2022 and 2023, the company’s earnings have increased 6.4% and 4.2% 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 27.3% growth. For 2022 and 2023, the company’s earnings are expected to grow at 22.2% and 10.2%, year over year, respectively. The company has a long-term earnings growth rate of 11.4%.

Growth Factors:Canadian National's efforts to reward its shareholders via dividends and share buybacks are encouraging and highlight the company's financial strength. In the first half of 2022, the company generated a free cash flow of C$1,568 million compared with C$1,280 million in the year-ago period. Management expects to generate a free cash flow of approximately C$3.7-C$4 billion in 2022. Strong freight demand and a 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.

Other Stocks to Consider

Some other top-ranked stocks from the broader Zacks Transportation sector are GATX Corporation (GATX - Free Report) , Triton International Limited and Teekay Tankers Ltd. (TNK - Free Report) , each currently carrying a Zacks Rank #2.

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 12.3% 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 company has a long-term expected growth rate of 10%.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TRTN’s current-year earnings has improved 4.2% over the past 90 days. Shares of TRTN have increased 22.2% 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. Teekay Tankers has a long-term expected growth rate of 3%.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TNK’s current-year earnings has improved more than 100% over the past 90 days. Shares of TNK have soared 142% over the past year.


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