On Wednesday, Scotiabank maintained its Sector Outperform rating on shares of Canadian National Railway (TSX:CNR:CN) (NYSE: CNI), with a slight adjustment to the price target, now set at C$187.00 from the previous C$188.00. The adjustment follows Canadian National Railway's report of second-quarter results that fell short of expectations, attributed to a variety of factors not related to the broader economy.
Management at Canadian National Railway has noted that its performance is aligning with their forecasts in terms of macroeconomic and company-specific factors. Still, they have revised their full-year guidance downwards, reflecting a modestly greater decrease than anticipated, around a 1.5% difference. This revision is due to weaker second-quarter performance, ongoing labor-related traffic uncertainties, and challenges in the lumber sector.
Despite these headwinds, Canadian National Railway does not expect any further labor disruptions or significant effects from wildfires in their updated guidance. Scotiabank has also revised its full-year earnings per share (EPS) estimate to $7.70, which represents a 6% year-over-year increase, adopting a more cautious stance than Canadian National Railway's management considering the potential risks related to labor and wildfires.
Encouragingly, operations are normalizing in the Western regions, and the outlook for grain has shown signs of improvement. Scotiabank anticipates a stronger performance in the second half of the year compared to the first, supported by more favorable comparisons and the recent decline in the CAD/USD exchange rate.
The firm's maintained Sector Outperform rating reflects a projection of approximately 11% annual EPS growth through to 2026, which is at the lower end of Canadian National Railway's own target range.
In other recent news, Canadian National Railway (CN) has been the subject of several significant developments. The company faced a series of challenges, including a shortfall in second-quarter financial results and a decrease in labor efficiency, leading financial services firms Stifel and BMO Capital to adjust their price targets for CN.
Despite these setbacks, analysts believe that CN has the potential to grow its earnings significantly. Furthermore, CN reported a steady operational performance for the first quarter, with growth in petroleum, chemicals, frac sand, and metals segments, despite a 1% dip in revenues.
CN's labor negotiations with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference faced a setback as the offer for binding arbitration was rejected. This dispute centers around the modernization of the collective agreement, which CN asserts would enhance productivity and work-life balance for its employees.
Despite these challenges, CN's subsidiary, CNTL, ratified a four-year contract with owner-operators represented by Unifor, ensuring service continuity for trucking container deliveries across Canada until December 31, 2027.
CN reported a second-quarter earnings result of $1.84 per share, falling short of the consensus estimate of $1.93 per share. Consequently, RBC Capital reduced its price target for CN's shares and revised its earnings per share growth forecast to mid- to high-single-digit, down from the previously projected 10%.
Bernstein SocGen Group also downgraded CN's stock from Outperform to Market Perform, due to concerns over near-term prospects. These are recent developments that could influence CN's operations and financial performance.
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