Canadian National Railway (NYSE: CNI) reported Q4 EPS of Cdn$1.25, Cdn$0.04 better than the analyst estimate of Cdn$1.21. Revenue for the quarter came in at Cdn$3.58 billion versus the consensus estimate of Cdn$3.55 billion.

2020 outlook and shareholder distribution:

“We have growth opportunities that we anticipate will translate into low single-digit volume growth in 2020 in terms of revenue ton miles (RTMs), despite continued weakness in the broad freight environment,” said Ruest.

CN is targeting to deliver EPS growth in the mid single-digit range this year compared to adjusted diluted EPS of C$5.80 in 2019. (1)

CN is also targeting free cash flow in the range of C$3.0 billion to C$3.3 billion in 2020 compared to C$2.0 billion in 2019. (1)

The Company’s Board of Directors approved a seven per cent increase to CN’s 2020 quarterly cash dividend, effective for the first quarter of 2020. This is the 24th consecutive year of dividend increase, demonstrating our confidence in the long-term financial health of the Company. In addition, the Company’s Board of Directors also approved a new normal course issuer bid that permits CN to purchase, for cancellation, over a 12-month period up to 16 million common shares, starting on February 1, 2020, and ending no later than January 31, 2021.

For earnings history and earnings-related data on Canadian National Railway (CNI) click here.