Canadian National's railway spans Canada from coast to coast and extends through Chicago to the Gulf of Mexico. In 2023, CN generated CAD 16.8 billion in revenue by hauling intermodal containers (23% of consolidated revenue), petroleum and chemicals (19%), grain and fertilizers (19%), forest products (12%), metals and minerals (12%), automotive shipments (6%), and coal (6%). Other items constitute the remaining revenue.

Global stocks are gaining, if not at the pace of domestic equities. While the S&P 500 has risen 17% year to date, the EAFA index of large- and mid-cap stocks based in countries other than the U.S. and Canada has gained 9.5%. Over the past five years, the performance gap has been wider, with the S&P 500 advancing 94% compared to a 32% gain in EAFE. But the underperformance has given global stocks a valuation advantage, particularly in the area of dividends. Consider that the EAFE dividend yield of 2.9% is 170 basis points higher than the comparable S&P 500 dividend yield. We think global dividend stocks now offer opportunity, particularly given the endless speculation over the direction of interest rates in the U.S., which has created market-timing headaches for equity income investors, who have endured recent wide swings in prices for rate-sensitive equity in areas such as utilities, REITs and MLPs. In our view, investing in international income stocks is one way to increase portfolio diversification while reducing sensitivity to volatile U.S. interest rates. Investing in overseas stocks carries its own set of risks, including the impact of currency exchange and geopolitical turmoil. But there are also a number of positives in this asset class for U.S. investors, including a wide selection of companies that pay dividends, robust industry diversification, and, as we have mentioned, higher yields and lower valuations. Argus has recently boosted its global coverage, and recommends the following international dividend stocks, each of which has at least a long-term BUY rating from an Argus analyst. Note this list of approximately 25-30 companies offers exposure to eight of the 11 major industrial sectors. The list includes companies from 10 countries.

Canadian National's railway spans Canada from coast to coast and extends through Chicago to the Gulf of Mexico. In 2023, CN generated CAD 16.8 billion in revenue by hauling intermodal containers (23% of consolidated revenue), petroleum and chemicals (19%), grain and fertilizers (19%), forest products (12%), metals and minerals (12%), automotive shipments (6%), and coal (6%). Other items constitute the remaining revenue.

Canadian National Railway transports more than CAN$250 billion of goods per year, ranging from commodities to manufactured products, across an approximately 20,000-mile North American rail network that connects the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf of Mexico coasts. CNI stock trades on both the New York and Toronto stock exchanges. The company has 25,000 employees.