Company raises 2010 financial guidance on strong first-half
results, expectation of continued economic recovery
MONTREAL, July 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - CN (TSX:
CNR)(NYSE: CNI) today reported its financial and operating results
for the second quarter and first half ended June 30, 2010.
Second-quarter 2010 highlights
- Net income and diluted earnings per share (EPS) increased by 38 per
cent from the year-earlier quarter to C$534 million and C$1.13,
respectively.
- Diluted EPS of C$1.13 increased by 49 per cent over adjusted diluted
EPS of C$0.76 for the second quarter of 2009.(1)
- Revenues rose 18 per cent to C$2,093 million, while carloadings
increased 27 per cent and revenue ton-miles rose 15 per cent.
- Operating income increased 39 per cent to C$813 million.
- Operating ratio improved by 6.1 points to 61.2 per cent.
- Six-month free cash flow totalled C$958 million, up from C$463 million
generated during the comparable period of 2009.(1)
Claude Mongeau, president and
chief executive officer, said: "I am very pleased with our strong
second-quarter 2010 earnings and free cash flow performance. We
worked closely with our customers to help them grow their
businesses and thereby increase our volumes, generating 27 per cent
more carloads and 18 per cent more revenues in the quarter.
"CN's outstanding results were anchored on careful planning -
having the right resources in place at the right time - improved
customer service, and our team's strong execution of the CN
Precision Railroading model. This performance allowed just a seven
per cent increase in operating expenses and helped us to improve
our operating ratio by more than six points to 61.2 per cent."
Net income for the first-half of 2010 was C$1,045 million, or C$2.21 per diluted share, up from C$811 million, or C$1.72 per diluted share, for the comparable
period of 2009.
Adjusted diluted EPS for the first six months of 2010 was
C$1.93, compared with adjusted
diluted EPS of C$1.40 for the first
half of 2009.(1)
Revised 2010 outlook(2)
CN's strong first-half results and an expectation of a continued
economic recovery this year have led the Company to revise its 2010
guidance upwards. CN now believes it has the scope to achieve an
increase of approximately 25 per cent in 2010 adjusted diluted EPS
over 2009 adjusted diluted EPS of C$3.24. In addition, CN expects to achieve free
cash flow for 2010 in the range of C$1.1
billion.(1) This revised free cash flow outlook is based on
the Company's first-half performance, higher earnings forecast,
proceeds from a Toronto rail-line
sale in the first quarter, lower cash taxes, and expectation of
making an additional voluntary pension plan contribution of
approximately C$250 million to
improve the plan's funded status.(3)
Mongeau said: "CN has successfully taken advantage of the
stronger than expected economic recovery in the first half of 2010.
We will continue to seize opportunities going forward by supporting
our customers in improving the efficiency of their supply chains to
help sustain their competitiveness in end markets."
Foreign currency impact on results
Although CN reports its earnings in Canadian dollars, a large
portion of its revenues and expenses is denominated in U.S.
dollars. As such, the Company's results are affected by
exchange-rate fluctuations. On a constant currency basis that
excludes the impact of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange
rates, CN's 2010 second-quarter and first-half net income would
have been higher by approximately C$35
million, or C$0.07 per diluted
share, and approximately C$76
million, or C$0.16 per diluted
share, respectively.(1)
Second-quarter 2010 revenues, traffic volumes and expenses
The 18 per cent rise in second-quarter revenues mainly resulted
from significantly higher freight volumes in all markets as a
result of improving economic conditions in North America and globally; the impact of a
higher fuel surcharge as a result of year-over-year increases in
applicable fuel prices and higher volumes; and freight rate
increases. These factors were partly offset by the negative
translation impact of the stronger Canadian dollar on
U.S.-dollar-denominated revenues.
Revenues increased for coal (40 per cent), automotive (39 per
cent), metals and minerals (33 per cent), intermodal (25 per cent),
forest products (six per cent), and petroleum and chemicals (six
per cent). Revenues for grain and fertilizers declined one per
cent.
Revenue ton-miles, measuring the relative weight and distance of
rail freight transported by CN, increased 15 per cent from the
year-earlier period.
Rail freight revenue per revenue ton-mile, a measurement of
yield defined as revenue earned on the movement of a ton of freight
over one mile, remained flat on a percentage basis in the second
quarter, largely owing to the impact of a higher fuel surcharge,
freight rate increases and a decrease in the average length of haul
that were offset by the negative translation impact of the stronger
Canadian dollar.
Operating expenses for the second quarter of 2010 increased
seven per cent, largely because of higher fuel costs, partially
offset by the positive translation impact of the stronger Canadian
dollar on U.S.-dollar-denominated expenses and by productivity
gains.
1) See discussion and reconciliation of non-GAAP adjusted performance-
measures in the attached supplementary schedule, Non-GAAP Measures.
2) See Forward-Looking Statements below for a summary of the key
assumptions and risks regarding CN's 2010 outlook.
3) See Note 5 - Pensions and other postretirement benefits to the
accompanying unaudited Interim Consolidated Financial Statements.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain information included in this news release constitutes
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United
States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and under
Canadian securities laws. CN cautions that, by their nature, these
forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and
assumptions. The Company cautions that its assumptions may not
materialize and that current economic conditions render such
assumptions, although reasonable at the time they were made,
subject to greater uncertainty. Such forward-looking statements are
not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown
risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual
results or performance of the Company or the rail industry to be
materially different from the outlook or any future results or
performance implied by such statements.
Key assumptions
CN is revising its 2010 outlook, first issued on Jan. 26, 2010, in the news release announcing the
Company's fourth-quarter and full-year 2009 financial results, and
subsequently amended in the Company's first-quarter 2010 financial
results news release dated April 26,
2010.
Current 2010 outlook as of July 22,
2010
CN now believes it has the scope to achieve an increase of
approximately 25 per cent in 2010 adjusted diluted EPS over 2009
adjusted diluted EPS of C$3.24. In
addition, CN expects to achieve free cash flow for 2010 in the
range of C$1.1 billion. This current
outlook is based on the following assumptions: 2010 North American
industrial production increasing in the range of five per cent;
U.S. housing starts to be about 675,000 units; CN carload growth,
in percentage terms, in the mid-teens, along with Company pricing
improvement of about 3.5 per cent; a Canadian-U.S. exchange rate
for 2010 in the range of C$0.95 to
par; the price of crude oil (West Texas Intermediate) to be in the
range of US$75 to US$80 per barrel;
and investment of approximately C$1.6
billion in Company capital programs. In addition, CN expects
that U.S. motor vehicle sales will be approximately 11.5 million
units for 2010. Although the Company anticipates the 2010/2011
Canadian grain crop will be below the five-year average, its impact
on 2010 results is expected to be modest. CN is also assuming a
strong U.S. crop, and has benefited from a good carry-over stock
from the 2009/2010 Canadian grain crop.
Previous outlook as of April 26,
2010
CN, in percentage terms, was aiming for solid double-digit
growth in 2010 adjusted diluted EPS over adjusted diluted EPS of
C$3.24 in 2009, with free cash flow
for 2010 in the order of C$1 billion.
This outlook was based on the following assumptions: 2010 North
American industrial production increasing in the range of five per
cent; U.S. housing starts to be about 675,000 units; low
double-digit CN carload growth, along with Company pricing
improvement of about 3.5 per cent; a Canadian-U.S. exchange rate
for 2010 in the range of par; the price of crude oil (West Texas
Intermediate) to be about US$85 per
barrel; and investment of approximately C$1.6 billion in Company capital programs. In
addition, CN expected that U.S. motor vehicle sales would be
approximately 11.5 million units for 2010. The Company also assumed
that the 2010/2011 Canadian grain crop would be in line with the
five-year average, and that in 2010 the crop would be complemented
by a good carry-over stock from 2009.
Important risk factors that could affect the forward-looking
statements include, but are not limited to, the effects of general
economic and business conditions, industry competition, inflation,
currency and interest rate fluctuations, changes in fuel prices,
legislative and/or regulatory developments, compliance with
environmental laws and regulations, actions by regulators, various
events which could disrupt operations, including natural events
such as severe weather, droughts, floods and earthquakes, labor
negotiations and disruptions, environmental claims, uncertainties
of investigations, proceedings or other types of claims and
litigation, risks and liabilities arising from derailments, and
other risks detailed from time to time in reports filed by CN with
securities regulators in Canada
and the United States. Reference
should be made to "Management's Discussion and Analysis" in CN's
annual and interim reports, Annual Information Form and Form 40-F
filed with Canadian and U.S. securities regulators, available on
CN's website, for a summary of major risk factors.
CN assumes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking
statements to reflect future events, changes in circumstances, or
changes in beliefs, unless required by applicable Canadian
securities laws. In the event CN does update any forward-looking
statement, no inference should be made that CN will make additional
updates with respect to that statement, related matters, or any
other forward-looking statement.
CN - Canadian National Railway Company and its operating railway
subsidiaries - spans Canada and
mid-America, from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the
Gulf of Mexico, serving the ports
of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New
Orleans, and Mobile, Ala.,
and the key metropolitan areas of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Duluth,
Minn./Superior, Wis.,
Green Bay, Wis., Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points
in North America. For more
information on CN, visit the Company's website at www.cn.ca.
CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY COMPANY
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF INCOME (U.S. GAAP)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(In millions, except per share data)
Three months ended Six months ended
June 30 June 30
------------------------ ------------------------
2010 2009 2010 2009
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Unaudited)
Revenues $ 2,093 $ 1,781 $ 4,058 $ 3,640
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating expenses
Labor and fringe
benefits 414 413 884 867
Purchased services
and material 250 253 508 544
Fuel 240 174 478 356
Depreciation and
amortization 205 199 410 402
Equipment rents 60 70 120 152
Casualty and other 111 89 242 255
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total operating
expenses 1,280 1,198 2,642 2,576
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating income 813 583 1,416 1,064
Interest expense (91) (108) (183) (220)
Other income (Note 2) 14 9 176 170
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Income before income
taxes 736 484 1,409 1,014
Income tax expense
(Note 6) (202) (97) (364) (203)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Net income $ 534 $ 387 $ 1,045 $ 811
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Earnings per share
(Note 9)
Basic $ 1.14 $ 0.83 $ 2.22 $ 1.73
Diluted $ 1.13 $ 0.82 $ 2.21 $ 1.72
Weighted-average
number of shares
Basic 468.8 468.7 469.9 468.5
Diluted 472.6 473.0 473.7 472.7
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
See accompanying notes to unaudited consolidated financial statements.
CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY COMPANY
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET (U.S. GAAP)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(In millions)
June 30 December 31 June 30
2010 2009 2009
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Unaudited) (Unaudited)
Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents $ 896 $ 352 $ 431
Accounts receivable (Note 3) 794 797 865
Material and supplies 255 170 258
Deferred income taxes 96 105 113
Other 64 66 96
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
2,105 1,490 1,763
Properties 22,801 22,630 23,160
Intangible and other assets 1,221 1,056 1,814
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total assets $ 26,127 $ 25,176 $ 26,737
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Liabilities and shareholders'
equity
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and other $ 1,341 $ 1,167 $ 1,270
Current portion of long-term
debt 210 70 506
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1,551 1,237 1,776
Deferred income taxes 5,298 5,119 5,443
Other liabilities and deferred
credits 1,256 1,196 1,319
Long-term debt 6,345 6,391 7,093
Shareholders' equity:
Common shares 4,275 4,266 4,203
Accumulated other comprehensive
loss (929) (948) (207)
Retained earnings 8,331 7,915 7,110
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
11,677 11,233 11,106
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total liabilities and
shareholders' equity $ 26,127 $ 25,176 $ 26,737
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
See accompanying notes to unaudited consolidated financial statements.
CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY COMPANY
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (U.S. GAAP)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(In millions)
Three months ended Six months ended
June 30 June 30
------------------------ ------------------------
2010 2009 2010 2009
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Unaudited)
Common shares(1)
Balance, beginning
of period $ 4,301 $ 4,188 $ 4,266 $ 4,179
Stock options
exercised and
other 23 15 79 24
Share repurchase
program (Note 3) (49) - (70) -
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Balance, end of
period $ 4,275 $ 4,203 $ 4,275 $ 4,203
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Accumulated other
comprehensive loss
Balance, beginning
of period $ (980) $ (126) $ (948) $ (155)
Other comprehensive
income (loss):
Unrealized foreign
exchange gain
(loss) on:
Translation of
the net
investment in
foreign
operations 286 (583) 79 (332)
Translation of
US dollar-
denominated
long-term debt
designated as a
hedge of the net
investment in U.S.
subsidiaries (279) 580 (80) 322
Pension and other
postretirement
benefit plans
(Note 5):
Amortization of
prior service cost
included in net
periodic benefit
cost - - 1 1
Amortization of net
actuarial loss
included in net
periodic benefit
cost (income) - 1 1 1
Derivative
instruments (1) - (1) -
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other comprehensive
income (loss) before
income taxes 6 (2) - (8)
Income tax recovery
(expense) 45 (79) 19 (44)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other comprehensive
income (loss) 51 (81) 19 (52)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Balance, end of
period $ (929) $ (207) $ (929) $ (207)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Retained earnings
Balance, beginning
of period $ 8,191 $ 6,841 $ 7,915 $ 6,535
Net income 534 387 1,045 811
Share repurchase
program (Note 3) (268) - (376) -
Dividends (126) (118) (253) (236)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Balance, end of
period $ 8,331 $ 7,110 $ 8,331 $ 7,110
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
See accompanying notes to unaudited consolidated financial statements.
(1) During the three and six months ended June 30, 2010, the Company
issued 0.5 million and 2.1 million common shares, respectively, as a
result of stock options exercised and repurchased 5.4 million and
7.7 million common shares, respectively, under its current share
repurchase program. At June 30, 2010, the Company had 465.4 million
common shares outstanding.
CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY COMPANY
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS (U.S. GAAP)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(In millions)
Three months ended Six months ended
June 30 June 30
------------------------ ------------------------
2010 2009 2010 2009
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Unaudited)
Operating activities
Net income $ 534 $ 387 $ 1,045 $ 811
Adjustments to
reconcile net
income to net cash
provided from
operating
activities:
Depreciation and
amortization 205 199 410 402
Deferred income
taxes 41 40 111 50
Gain on disposal of
property (Note 2) - - (152) (157)
Other changes in:
Accounts receivable 14 28 13 29
Material and
supplies (17) 4 (84) (49)
Accounts payable
and other 98 (9) 199 (141)
Other current
assets 11 5 12 41
Other (27) (22) (98) (36)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cash provided from
operating activities 859 632 1,456 950
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Investing activities
Property additions (301) (309) (435) (496)
Acquisitions, net of
cash acquired
(Note 2) - - - (373)
Disposal of property
(Note 2) 23 40 167 150
Other, net 11 33 18 37
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cash used by
investing activities (267) (236) (250) (682)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Financing activities
Issuance of long-term
debt - - - 1,440
Reduction of
long-term debt (22) (187) (40) (1,459)
Issuance of common
shares due to
exercise of stock
options and related
excess tax benefits
realized 22 13 74 15
Repurchase of common
shares (317) - (446) -
Dividends paid (126) (118) (253) (236)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cash used by
financing activities (443) (292) (665) (240)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Effect of foreign
exchange fluctua-
tions on US dollar-
denominated cash and
cash equivalents (1) (22) 3 (10)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Net increase in cash
and cash equivalents 148 82 544 18
Cash and cash
equivalents,
beginning of period 748 349 352 413
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cash and cash
equivalents, end
of period $ 896 $ 431 $ 896 $ 431
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Supplemental cash
flow information
Net cash receipts
from customers
and other $ 2,093 $ 1,834 $ 4,150 $ 3,738
Net cash
payments for:
Employee
services,
suppliers and
other expenses (1,078) (974) (2,308) (2,340)
Interest (81) (93) (172) (199)
Personal injury
and other
claims (17) (35) (31) (65)
Pensions (6) (28) (106) (28)
Income taxes (52) (72) (77) (156)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cash provided from
operating
activities $ 859 $ 632 $ 1,456 $ 950
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
See accompanying notes to unaudited consolidated financial statements.
CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY COMPANY
NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (U.S. GAAP)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Note 1 - Basis of presentation
In management's opinion, the accompanying unaudited Interim
Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto, expressed in
Canadian dollars, and prepared in accordance with U.S. generally
accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP) for interim financial
statements, contain all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring
accruals) necessary to present fairly Canadian National Railway
Company's (the Company) financial position as at June 30, 2010, December
31, 2009, and June 30, 2009,
and its results of operations, changes in shareholders' equity and
cash flows for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010 and 2009.
These unaudited Interim Consolidated Financial Statements and
Notes thereto have been prepared using accounting policies
consistent with those used in preparing the Company's 2009 Annual
Consolidated Financial Statements. While management believes that
the disclosures presented are adequate to make the information not
misleading, these unaudited Interim Consolidated Financial
Statements and Notes thereto should be read in conjunction with the
Company's Interim Management's Discussion and Analysis (MD&A)
and the 2009 Annual Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes
thereto.
Note 2 - Acquisition and disposal of property
2010 - Disposal of Oakville
subdivision
In March 2010, the Company entered
into an agreement with Metrolinx to sell a portion of the property
known as the Oakville subdivision
in Toronto, Ontario, together with
the rail fixtures and certain passenger agreements (collectively
the "Rail Property"), for proceeds of $168
million before transaction costs, of which $24 million was placed in escrow to be released
in accordance with the terms of the agreement. As at June 30, 2010, a minimal amount remained in
escrow. Under the agreement, the Company obtained the perpetual
right to operate freight trains over the Rail Property at its
current level of operating activity, with the possibility of
increasing its operating activity for additional consideration. The
transaction resulted in a gain on disposal of $152 million ($131
million after-tax) that was recorded in Other income under
the full accrual method of accounting for real estate
transactions.
2009 - Acquisition of Elgin,
Joliet and Eastern Railway
Company
On January 31, 2009, the Company
acquired the principal rail lines of the Elgin, Joliet
and Eastern Railway Company (EJ&E), a short-line railway that
operates over 198 miles of track in and around Chicago, for a total cash consideration of
US$300 million (Cdn$373 million), paid with cash on hand. The
Company accounted for the acquisition using the acquisition method
of accounting pursuant to Financial Accounting Standards Board
(FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 805, "Business
Combinations," which the Company adopted on January 1, 2009. As such, the consolidated
financial statements of the Company include the assets, liabilities
and results of operations of EJ&E as of January 31, 2009, the date of acquisition. The
costs incurred to acquire the EJ&E of $49 million ($30
million after-tax) were expensed and reported in Casualty
and other in the Consolidated Statement of Income in the first half
of 2009.
2009 - Disposal of Weston
subdivision
In March 2009, the Company entered
into an agreement with GO Transit to sell the property known as the
Weston subdivision in Toronto, Ontario, together with the rail
fixtures and certain passenger agreements (collectively the "Rail
Property"), for cash proceeds of $160
million before transaction costs, of which $50 million placed in escrow at the time of
disposal was entirely released by December
31, 2009 in accordance with the terms of the agreement.
Under the agreement, the Company obtained the perpetual right to
operate freight trains over the Rail Property at its then current
level of operating activity, with the possibility of increasing its
operating activity for additional consideration. The transaction
resulted in a gain on disposal of $157
million ($135 million
after-tax) that was recorded in Other income under the full accrual
method of accounting for real estate transactions.
Note 3 - Financing activities
Revolving credit facility
As at June 30, 2010, the Company
had letters of credit drawn on its US$1
billion revolving credit facility, expiring in October 2011, of $423
million ($421 million as at
December 31, 2009). As at
June 30, 2010, the Company had no
outstanding borrowings under its revolving credit facility or
commercial paper program (nil as at December
31, 2009).
Accounts receivable securitization
The Company has a five-year agreement, expiring in May 2011, to sell an undivided co-ownership
interest in a revolving pool of freight receivables to an unrelated
trust for maximum cash proceeds of $600
million. Since the fourth quarter of 2009, the Company has
gradually reduced the program limit, which now stands at
$100 million until January 31, 2011, to reflect the anticipated
reduction in the use of the program. Thereafter, the program limit
will return to $600 million until the
expiry of the program. Pursuant to the agreement, the Company sells
an interest in its receivables and receives proceeds net of the
required reserve as stipulated in the agreement. The required
reserve represents an amount set aside to allow for possible credit
losses and is recognized by the Company as a retained interest and
recorded in Other current assets in its Consolidated Balance Sheet.
The Company retains the responsibility for servicing, administering
and collecting the receivables sold and receives no fee for such
ongoing servicing responsibility. The average servicing period is
approximately one month. Subject to customary indemnifications, the
trust's recourse is generally limited to the receivables.
As at June 30, 2010, the Company
had no receivables sold under this program (the Company had sold
receivables that resulted in proceeds of $2
million and recorded retained interest of approximately 10%
in Other current assets as at December 31,
2009).
Share repurchase program
In January 2010, the Board of
Directors of the Company approved a new share repurchase program
which allows for the repurchase of up to 15.0 million common shares
to the end of December 2010 pursuant
to a normal course issuer bid, at prevailing market prices plus
brokerage fees, or such other price as may be permitted by the
Toronto Stock Exchange.
In the second quarter of 2010, under this current share
repurchase program, the Company repurchased 5.4 million common
shares for $317 million, at a
weighted-average price of $58.70. As
of June 30, 2010, the Company has
repurchased 7.7 million common shares for $446 million, at a weighted-average price of
$57.92 per share.
Note 4 - Stock plans
The Company has various stock-based incentive plans for eligible
employees. A description of the plans is provided in Note 11 -
Stock plans, to the Company's 2009 Annual Consolidated Financial
Statements. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2010, the Company recorded total
compensation expense for awards under all plans of $10 million and $50
million, respectively, and $25
million and $40 million,
respectively, for the same periods in 2009. The total tax benefit
recognized in income in relation to stock-based compensation
expense for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010 was $2
million and $13 million,
respectively, and $7 million and
$11 million, respectively, for the
same periods in 2009.
Cash settled awards
Following approval by the Board of Directors in January 2010, the Company granted 0.5 million
restricted share units (RSUs) to designated management employees
entitling them to receive payout in cash based on the Company's
share price. The RSUs granted by the Company are generally
scheduled for payout in cash after three years ("plan period") and
vest conditionally upon the attainment of a target relating to
return on invested capital over the plan period. Payout is
conditional upon the attainment of a minimum share price calculated
using the average of the last three months of the plan period. As
at June 30, 2010, 0.2 million RSUs
remained authorized for future grant under this plan.
The following table provides the 2010 activity for all cash
settled awards:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Voluntary Incentive
RSUs Deferral Plan (VIDP)
-------------------------- --------------------------
In millions Nonvested Vested Nonvested Vested
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Outstanding at
December 31, 2009 1.5 0.7 - 1.6
Granted 0.5 - - -
Payout - (0.7) - (0.1)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Outstanding at
June 30, 2010 2.0 - - 1.5
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following table provides valuation and expense information
for all cash settled awards:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
In
millions,
unless
otherwise
indicated RSUs(1) VIDP(2) Total
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
2003
Year of
grant 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 onwards
-------------------------------------------- --------
Stock-
based
compensa-
tion
expense
(recovery)
recognized
over
requisite
service
period
Six months
ended
June 30,
2010 $ 7 $ 17 $ 15 $ - N/A $ 6 $ 45
Six months
ended
June 30,
2009 N/A $ 14 $ 2 $ 3 $ (2) $ 14 $ 31
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Liability
outstan-
ding
June 30,
2010 $ 7 $ 30 $ 26 $ - N/A $ 96 $ 159
December
31, 2009 N/A $ 13 $ 11 $ 38 N/A $ 102 $ 164
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fair value
per unit
June 30,
2010 ($) $ 38.44 $ 55.42 $ 56.47 N/A N/A $ 61.01 N/A
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fair value
of awards
vested
during
the
period
Six months
ended
June 30,
2010 $ - $ - $ - N/A N/A $ 1 $ 1
Six months
ended
June 30,
2009 N/A $ - $ - $ - N/A $ 1 $ 1
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nonvested
awards at
June 30
2010
Unrecogni-
zed com-
pensation
cost $ 13 $ 11 $ 2 N/A N/A $ 1 $ 27
Remaining
recogni-
tion
period
(years) 2.5 1.5 0.5 N/A N/A N/A(3) N/A
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Assump-
tions(4)
Stock
price
($) $ 61.01 $ 61.01 $ 61.01 N/A N/A $ 61.01 N/A
Expected
stock
price
volati-
lity(5) 29% 31% 23% N/A N/A N/A N/A
Expected
term
(years)
(6) 2.5 1.5 0.5 N/A N/A N/A N/A
Risk-free
interest
rate(7) 1.57% 1.20% 0.73% N/A N/A N/A N/A
Dividend
rate
($)(8) $ 1.08 $ 1.08 $ 1.08 N/A N/A N/A N/A
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Compensation cost is based on the fair value of the awards at period-
end using the lattice-based valuation model that uses the assumptions
as presented herein.
(2) Compensation cost is based on intrinsic value.
(3) The remaining recognition period has not been quantified as it
relates solely to the 25% Company grant and the dividends earned
thereon, representing a minimal number of units.
(4) Assumptions used to determine fair value are at June 30, 2010.
(5) Based on the historical volatility of the Company's stock over a
period commensurate with the expected term of the award.
(6) Represents the remaining period of time that awards are expected to
be outstanding.
(7) Based on the implied yield available on zero-coupon government issues
with an equivalent term commensurate with the expected term of the
awards.
(8) Based on the annualized dividend rate.
Stock option awards
Following approval by the Board of Directors in January 2010, the Company granted 0.7 million
conventional stock options to designated senior management
employees. The stock option plan allows eligible employees to
acquire common shares of the Company upon vesting at a price equal
to the market value of the common shares at the date of grant. The
options are exercisable during a period not exceeding 10 years. The
right to exercise options generally accrues over a period of four
years of continuous employment. Options are not generally
exercisable during the first 12 months after the date of grant. At
June 30, 2010, 11.6 million common
shares remained authorized for future issuances under this plan.
The total number of options outstanding at June 30, 2010, including conventional and
performance-accelerated options, was 7.6 million and 2.6 million,
respectively.
The following table provides the activity of stock option awards
in 2010. The table also provides the aggregate intrinsic value for
in-the-money stock options, which represents the value that would
have been received by option holders had they exercised their
options on June 30, 2010 at the
Company's closing stock price of $61.01.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Options outstanding
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weighted- Weighted-
average average Aggregate
Number exercise years to intrinsic
of options price expiration value
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
In millions In millions
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Outstanding at
December 31,
2009(1) 11.6 $ 30.98
Granted 0.7 $ 54.73
Exercised (2.1) $ 26.66
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Outstanding at
June 30, 2010(1) 10.2 $ 33.74 4.6 $ 277
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Exercisable at
June 30, 2010(1) 7.9 $ 29.87 3.4 $ 245
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Stock options with a US dollar exercise price have been translated to
Canadian dollars using the foreign exchange rate in effect at the
balance sheet date.
The following table provides valuation and expense information
for all stock option awards:
In
millions,
unless
otherwise
indicated
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Year of
grant 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 Total
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stock-
based
compensa-
tion
expense
recognized
over
requisite
service
period(1)
Six months
ended
June 30,
2010 $ 3 $ 1 $ 1 $ - $ - N/A $ 5
Six months
ended
June 30,
2009 N/A $ 6 $ 1 $ 1 $ 1 $ - $ 9
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fair value
per unit
At grant
date ($) $ 13.08 $ 12.60 $ 12.44 $ 13.36 $ 13.80 $ 9.19 N/A
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fair value
of awards
vested
during
the
period
Six months
ended
June 30,
2010 $ - $ 4 $ 3 $ 3 $ 3 $ - $ 13
Six months
ended
June 30,
2009 N/A $ - $ 3 $ 3 $ 3 $ 3 $ 12
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nonvested
awards at
June 30,
2010
Unrecogni-
zed com-
pensation
cost $ 6 $ 5 $ 2 $ 1 $ - $ - $ 14
Remaining
recogni-
tion
period
(years) 3.5 2.5 1.5 0.5 - - N/A
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Assump-
tions
Grant
price
($) $ 54.73 $ 42.14 $ 48.51 $ 52.79 $ 51.51 $ 36.33 N/A
Expected
stock
price
volati-
lity(2) 28% 39% 27% 24% 25% 25% N/A
Expected
term
(years)
(3) 5.4 5.3 5.3 5.2 5.2 5.2 N/A
Risk-free
interest
rate(4) 2.45% 1.97% 3.58% 4.12% 4.04% 3.50% N/A
Dividend
rate
($)(5) $ 1.08 $ 1.01 $ 0.92 $ 0.84 $ 0.65 $ 0.50 N/A
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Compensation cost is based on the grant date fair value using the
Black-Scholes option-pricing model that uses the assumptions at the
grant date.
(2) Based on the average of the historical volatility of the Company's
stock over a period commensurate with the expected term of the award
and the implied volatility from traded options on the Company's
stock.
(3) Represents the period of time that awards are expected to be
outstanding. The Company uses historical data to estimate option
exercise and employee termination, and groups of employees that have
similar historical exercise behavior are considered separately.
(4) Based on the implied yield available on zero-coupon government issues
with an equivalent term commensurate with the expected term of the
awards.
(5) Based on the annualized dividend rate.
Note 5 - Pensions and other postretirement benefits
For the three and six months ended June
30, 2010 and 2009, the components of net periodic benefit
cost (income) for pensions and other postretirement benefits were
as follows:
(a) Components of net periodic benefit income for pensions
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three months ended Six months ended
June 30 June 30
------------------------ ------------------------
In millions 2010 2009 2010 2009
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Service cost $ 26 $ 22 $ 53 $ 44
Interest cost 210 221 418 443
Expected return on
plan assets (252) (252) (504) (504)
Recognized net
actuarial loss 1 2 2 3
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Net periodic
benefit (income) $ (15) $ (7) $ (31) $ (14)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(b) Components of net periodic benefit cost for other
postretirement benefits
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three months ended Six months ended
June 30 June 30
------------------------ ------------------------
In millions 2010 2009 2010 2009
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Service cost $ 1 $ 1 $ 2 $ 2
Interest cost 5 4 8 8
Curtailment gain - - - (3)
Amortization of
prior service cost - - 1 1
Recognized net
actuarial gain (1) (1) (1) (2)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Net periodic benefit
cost $ 5 $ 4 $ 10 $ 6
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
In 2010, the Company expects to make contributions of
approximately $130 million for all
its pension plans, mainly representing the current service costs as
determined by the latest actuarial valuations. The Company also
expects to make an additional voluntary contribution of
approximately $250 million to
strengthen the financial position of its main pension plan, the CN
Pension Plan. As at June 30, 2010,
the Company has contributed $106
million to its pension plans.
Additional information is provided in Note 12 - Pensions and
other postretirement benefits to the Company's 2009 Annual
Consolidated Financial Statements.
Note 6 - Income taxes
The Company recorded income tax expense of $202 million for the three months ended
June 30, 2010 and $364 million for the six months ended
June 30, 2010, compared to
$97 million and $203 million, respectively, for the same periods
in 2009. Included in the 2009 figures was a deferred income tax
recovery of $43 million, of which
$12 million and $15 million, recorded in the second and first
quarters, respectively, resulted from the enactment of lower
provincial corporate income tax rates; and $16 million recorded in the second quarter
resulted from the recapitalization of a foreign investment.
Note 7 - Major commitments and contingencies
A. Commitments
As at June 30, 2010, the Company
had commitments to acquire railroad ties, rail, freight cars,
locomotives, and other equipment and services, as well as
outstanding information technology service contracts and licenses,
at an aggregate cost of $819 million
($854 million as at December 31, 2009). In addition, the Company has
commitments in relation to the EJ&E acquisition to spend, over
the next two years, approximately US$100
million for railroad infrastructure improvements and over
US$60 million, over the next four
years, under a series of agreements with individual communities, a
comprehensive voluntary mitigation program that addresses
municipalities' concerns, and additional conditions imposed by the
Surface Transportation Board (STB). The Company also has agreements
with fuel suppliers to purchase approximately 83% of the estimated
remaining 2010 volume, 43% of its anticipated 2011 volume, 32% of
its anticipated 2012 volume, 26% of its anticipated 2013 volume and
9% of its anticipated 2014 volume, at market prices prevailing on
the date of the purchase.
B. Contingencies
The Company becomes involved, from time to time, in various
legal actions seeking compensatory and occasionally punitive
damages, including actions brought on behalf of various purported
classes of claimants and claims relating to personal injuries,
occupational disease, and property damage, arising out of harm to
individuals or property allegedly caused by, but not limited to,
derailments or other accidents.
Canada
Employee injuries are governed by the workers' compensation
legislation in each province whereby employees may be awarded
either a lump sum or future stream of payments depending on the
nature and severity of the injury. Accordingly, the Company
accounts for costs related to employee work-related injuries based
on actuarially developed estimates of the ultimate cost associated
with such injuries, including compensation, health care and
third-party administration costs. For all other legal actions, the
Company maintains, and regularly updates on a case-by-case basis,
provisions for such items when the expected loss is both probable
and can be reasonably estimated based on currently available
information.
United States
Employee work-related injuries, including occupational disease
claims, are compensated according to the provisions of the Federal
Employers' Liability Act (FELA), which requires either the finding
of fault through the U.S. jury system or individual settlements,
and represent a major liability for the railroad industry. With
limited exceptions where claims are evaluated on a case-by-case
basis, the Company follows an actuarial-based approach and accrues
the expected cost for personal injury and property damage claims
and asserted and unasserted occupational disease claims, based on
actuarial estimates of their ultimate cost. A comprehensive
actuarial study is conducted on an annual basis by an independent
actuarial firm for occupational and non-occupational disease
claims. On an ongoing basis, management reviews and compares the
assumptions inherent in the latest actuarial study with the current
claim experience and, if required, adjustments to the liability are
recorded.
As at June 30, 2010, the Company
had aggregate reserves for personal injury and other claims of
$375 million, of which $86 million was recorded as a current liability
($344 million as at December 31, 2009, of which $106 million was recorded as a current
liability).
Although the Company considers such provisions to be adequate
for all its outstanding and pending claims, the final outcome with
respect to actions outstanding or pending at June 30, 2010, or with respect to future claims,
cannot be predicted with certainty, and therefore there can be no
assurance that their resolution will not have a material adverse
effect on the Company's results of operations, financial position
or liquidity in a particular quarter or fiscal year.
C. Environmental matters
The Company's operations are subject to numerous federal,
provincial, state, municipal and local environmental laws and
regulations in Canada and
the United States concerning,
among other things, emissions into the air; discharges into waters;
the generation, handling, storage, transportation, treatment and
disposal of waste, hazardous substances, and other materials;
decommissioning of underground and aboveground storage tanks; and
soil and groundwater contamination. A risk of environmental
liability is inherent in railroad and related transportation
operations; real estate ownership, operation or control; and other
commercial activities of the Company with respect to both current
and past operations.
Known existing environmental concerns
The Company has identified approximately 315 sites at which it
is or may be liable for remediation costs, in some cases along with
other potentially responsible parties, associated with alleged
contamination and is subject to environmental clean-up and
enforcement actions, including those imposed by the United States
Federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and
Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), also known as the Superfund law, or
analogous state laws. CERCLA and similar state laws, in addition to
other similar Canadian and U.S. laws, generally impose joint and
several liability for clean-up and enforcement costs on current and
former owners and operators of a site, as well as those whose waste
is disposed of at the site, without regard to fault or the legality
of the original conduct. The Company has been notified that it is a
potentially responsible party for study and clean-up costs at
approximately 10 sites governed by the Superfund law (and analogous
state laws) for which investigation and remediation payments are or
will be made or are yet to be determined and, in many instances, is
one of several potentially responsible parties.
The ultimate cost of addressing these known contaminated sites
cannot be definitely established given that the estimated
environmental liability for any given site may vary depending on
the nature and extent of the contamination, the available clean-up
techniques, the Company's share of the costs and evolving
regulatory standards governing environmental liability. As a
result, a liability is initially recorded when environmental
assessments occur and/or remedial efforts are probable, and when
the costs, based on a specific plan of action in terms of the
technology to be used and the extent of the corrective action
required, can be reasonably estimated. Adjustments to initial
estimates are recorded as additional information becomes
available.
The Company's provision for specific environmental sites is
undiscounted and includes costs for remediation and restoration of
sites, as well as significant monitoring costs. Environmental
accruals, which are classified as Casualty and other in the
Consolidated Statement of Income, include amounts for newly
identified sites or contaminants as well as adjustments to initial
estimates.
As at June 30, 2010, the Company
had aggregate accruals for environmental costs of $106 million, of which $38
million was recorded as a current liability ($103 million as at December 31, 2009, of which $38 million was recorded as a current liability).
The Company anticipates that the majority of the liability at
June 30, 2010 will be paid out over
the next five years. However, some costs may be paid out over a
longer period. No individual site is considered to be material.
Based on the information currently available, the Company considers
its provisions to be adequate.
Unknown existing environmental concerns
While the Company believes that it has identified the costs
likely to be incurred for environmental matters in the next several
years based on known information, newly discovered facts, changes
in laws, the possibility of spills and releases of hazardous
materials into the environment and the Company's ongoing efforts to
identify potential environmental liabilities that may be associated
with its properties may result in the identification of additional
environmental liabilities and related costs. The magnitude of such
additional liabilities and the costs of complying with future
environmental laws and containing or remediating contamination
cannot be reasonably estimated due to many factors, including:
(i) the lack of specific technical information available with respect
to many sites;
(ii) the absence of any government authority, third-party orders, or
claims with respect to particular sites;
(iii) the potential for new or changed laws and regulations and for
development of new remediation technologies and uncertainty
regarding the timing of the work with respect to particular sites;
(iv) the ability to recover costs from any third parties with respect to
particular sites; and
therefore, the likelihood of any such costs being incurred or
whether such costs would be material to the Company cannot be
determined at this time. There can thus be no assurance that
liabilities or costs related to environmental matters will not be
incurred in the future, or will not have a material adverse effect
on the Company's financial position or results of operations in a
particular quarter or fiscal year, or that the Company's liquidity
will not be adversely impacted by such liabilities or costs,
although management believes, based on current information, that
the costs to address environmental matters will not have a material
adverse effect on the Company's financial position or liquidity.
Costs related to any unknown existing or future contamination will
be accrued in the period in which they become probable and
reasonably estimable.
D. Guarantees and indemnifications
In the normal course of business, the Company, including certain
of its subsidiaries, enters into agreements that may involve
providing certain guarantees or indemnifications to third parties
and others, which may extend beyond the term of the agreement.
These include, but are not limited to, residual value guarantees on
operating leases, standby letters of credit and surety and other
bonds, and indemnifications that are customary for the type of
transaction or for the railway business.
The Company is required to recognize a liability for the fair
value of the obligation undertaken in issuing certain guarantees on
the date the guarantee is issued or modified. In addition, where
the Company expects to make a payment in respect of a guarantee, a
liability will be recognized to the extent that one has not yet
been recognized.
(i) Guarantee of residual values of operating leases
The Company has guaranteed a portion of the residual values of
certain of its assets under operating leases with expiry dates
between 2010 and 2020, for the benefit of the lessor. If the fair
value of the assets, at the end of their respective lease term, is
less than the fair value, as estimated at the inception of the
lease, then the Company must, under certain conditions, compensate
the lessor for the shortfall. At June 30,
2010, the maximum exposure in respect of these guarantees
was $230 million. There are no
recourse provisions to recover any amounts from third parties.
(ii) Other guarantees
The Company, including certain of its subsidiaries, has granted
irrevocable standby letters of credit and surety and other bonds,
issued by highly rated financial institutions, to third parties to
indemnify them in the event the Company does not perform its
contractual obligations. As at June 30,
2010, the maximum potential liability under these guarantees
was $473 million, of which
$411 million was for workers'
compensation and other employee benefits and $62 million was for equipment under leases and
other. Of the $473 million of letters
of credit and surety and other bonds, $423
million was drawn on the Company's US$1 billion revolving credit facility. During
2010, the Company has granted guarantees for which no liability has
been recorded, as they relate to the Company's future
performance.
As at June 30, 2010, the Company
had not recorded any additional liability with respect to these
guarantees, as the Company does not expect to make any additional
payments associated with these guarantees. The majority of the
guarantee instruments mature at various dates between 2010 and
2013.
(iii) General indemnifications
In the normal course of business, the Company has provided
indemnifications, customary for the type of transaction or for the
railway business, in various agreements with third parties,
including indemnification provisions where the Company would be
required to indemnify third parties and others. Indemnifications
are found in various types of contracts with third parties which
include, but are not limited to:
(a) contracts granting the Company the right to use or enter upon
property owned by third parties such as leases, easements, trackage
rights and sidetrack agreements;
(b) contracts granting rights to others to use the Company's property,
such as leases, licenses and easements;
(c) contracts for the sale of assets and securitization of accounts
receivable;
(d) contracts for the acquisition of services;
(e) financing agreements;
(f) trust indentures, fiscal agency agreements, underwriting agreements
or similar agreements relating to debt or equity securities of the
Company and engagement agreements with financial advisors;
(g) transfer agent and registrar agreements in respect of the Company's
securities;
(h) trust and other agreements relating to pension plans and other plans,
including those establishing trust funds to secure payment to certain
officers and senior employees of special retirement compensation
arrangements;
(i) pension transfer agreements;
(j) master agreements with financial institutions governing derivative
transactions; and
(k) settlement agreements with insurance companies or other third parties
whereby such insurer or third party has been indemnified for any
present or future claims relating to insurance policies, incidents or
events covered by the settlement agreements.
To the extent of any actual claims under these agreements, the
Company maintains provisions for such items, which it considers to
be adequate. Due to the nature of the indemnification clauses, the
maximum exposure for future payments may be material. However, such
exposure cannot be determined with certainty.
During the period, the Company entered into various
indemnification contracts with third parties for which the maximum
exposure for future payments cannot be determined with certainty.
As a result, the Company was unable to determine the fair value of
these guarantees and accordingly, no liability was recorded. There
are no recourse provisions to recover any amounts from third
parties.
Note 8 - Financial instruments
Generally accepted accounting principles define the fair value
of a financial instrument as the amount at which the instrument
could be exchanged in a current transaction between willing
parties. The Company uses the following methods and assumptions to
estimate the fair value of each class of financial instruments for
which the carrying amounts are included in the Consolidated Balance
Sheet under the following captions:
(i) Cash and cash equivalents, Accounts receivable, Other
current assets, Accounts payable and other:
The carrying amounts approximate fair value because of the short
maturity of these instruments.
(ii) Other assets:
Investments: The Company has various equity investments for
which the carrying value approximates the fair value, with the
exception of certain cost investments for which the fair value was
estimated based on the Company's proportionate share of the
underlying net assets.
(iii) Long-term debt:
The fair value of the Company's long-term debt is estimated
based on the quoted market prices for the same or similar debt
instruments, as well as discounted cash flows using current
interest rates for debt with similar terms, company rating, and
remaining maturity.
The following table presents the carrying amounts and estimated
fair values of the Company's financial instruments as at
June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009 for which the carrying values
on the Consolidated Balance Sheet are different from their fair
values:
In millions June 30, 2010 December 31, 2009
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carrying Fair Carrying Fair
amount value amount value
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Financial assets
Investments $ 24 $ 116 $ 22 $ 111
Financial
liabilities
Long-term debt
(including
current portion) $ 6,555 $ 7,659 $ 6,461 $ 7,152
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note 9 - Earnings per share
The following table provides a reconciliation between basic and
diluted earnings per share:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three months ended Six months ended
June 30 June 30
------------------------ ------------------------
In millions, except
per share data 2010 2009 2010 2009
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Net income $ 534 $ 387 $ 1,045 $ 811
Weighted-average
shares outstanding 468.8 468.7 469.9 468.5
Effect of stock
options 3.8 4.3 3.8 4.2
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weighted-average
diluted shares
outstanding 472.6 473.0 473.7 472.7
Basic earnings per
share $ 1.14 $ 0.83 $ 2.22 $ 1.73
Diluted earnings
per share $ 1.13 $ 0.82 $ 2.21 $ 1.72
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diluted earnings per share have been calculated using the
treasury stock method, which assumes that any proceeds received
from the exercise of in-the-money options would be used to purchase
common shares at the average market price for the period. The
weighted-average number of stock options that were not included in
the calculation of diluted earnings per share, as their inclusion
would have had an anti-dilutive impact was nil and 0.1 million for
the three and six months ended June 30,
2010, respectively, and 0.4 million and 0.7 million,
respectively, for the corresponding periods in 2009.
CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY COMPANY
SELECTED RAILROAD STATISTICS(1) (U.S. GAAP)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three months ended Six months ended
June 30 June 30
------------------------ ------------------------
2010 2009 2010 2009
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Unaudited)
Statistical operating
data
Rail freight revenues
($ millions) 1,846 1,601 3,634 3,297
Gross ton miles (GTM)
(millions) 85,129 74,556 169,119 148,113
Revenue ton miles
(RTM) (millions) 44,576 38,865 88,656 77,556
Carloads (thousands) 1,182 928 2,290 1,882
Route miles (includes
Canada and the U.S.) 20,859 21,104 20,859 21,104
Employees (end of
period) 22,127 21,717 22,127 21,717
Employees (average
for the period) 22,019 21,827 21,750 22,043
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Productivity
Operating ratio (%) 61.2 67.3 65.1 70.8
Rail freight revenue
per RTM (cents) 4.14 4.12 4.10 4.25
Rail freight revenue
per carload ($) 1,562 1,725 1,587 1,752
Operating expenses
per GTM (cents) 1.50 1.61 1.56 1.74
Labor and fringe
benefits expense per
GTM (cents) 0.49 0.55 0.52 0.59
GTMs per average
number of employees
(thousands) 3,866 3,416 7,776 6,719
Diesel fuel consumed
(US gallons in
millions) 88 80 179 165
Average fuel price
($/US gallon) 2.43 2.00 2.41 1.99
GTMs per US gallon of
fuel consumed 967 932 945 898
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Safety indicators
Injury frequency rate
per 200,000 person
hours(2) 1.61 1.68 1.64 1.48
Accident rate per
million train
miles(2) 1.78 1.71 1.83 1.92
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Financial ratio
Debt-to-total
capitalization ratio
(% at end of period) 36.0 40.6 36.0 40.6
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Includes data relating to companies acquired as of the date of
acquisition.
(2) Based on Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) reporting criteria.
Certain statistical data and related productivity measures are
based on estimated data available at such time and are subject to
change as more complete information becomes available.
CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY COMPANY
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION (U.S. GAAP)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three months ended June 30 Six months ended June 30
------------------------------ ----------------------------
Variance Variance
Fav Fav
2010 2009 (Unfav) 2010 2009 (Unfav)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Unaudited)
Revenues
(millions of
dollars)
Petroleum and
chemicals 329 309 6% 650 649 -
Metals and
minerals 210 158 33% 420 356 18%
Forest
products 299 283 6% 587 585 -
Coal 155 111 40% 287 214 34%
Grain and
fertilizers 327 330 (1%) 699 687 2%
Intermodal 398 318 25% 749 637 18%
Automotive 128 92 39% 242 169 43%
-------------------------------- -----------------
Total rail
freight
revenues 1,846 1,601 15% 3,634 3,297 10%
Other
revenues 247 180 37% 424 343 24%
-------------------------------- -----------------
Total
revenues 2,093 1,781 18% 4,058 3,640 11%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Revenue ton
miles
(millions)
Petroleum and
chemicals 7,680 7,114 8% 15,544 14,641 6%
Metals and
minerals 4,084 2,813 45% 7,988 6,065 32%
Forest
products 7,460 6,782 10% 14,636 13,396 9%
Coal 4,941 3,445 43% 9,267 6,286 47%
Grain and
fertilizers 10,447 10,049 4% 22,561 20,607 9%
Intermodal 9,230 8,108 14% 17,295 15,584 11%
Automotive 734 554 32% 1,365 977 40%
-------------------------------- -----------------
44,576 38,865 15% 88,656 77,556 14%
Rail freight
revenue /
RTM (cents)
Total rail
freight
revenue per
RTM 4.14 4.12 - 4.10 4.25 (4%)
Commodity
groups:
Petroleum and
chemicals 4.28 4.34 (1%) 4.18 4.43 (6%)
Metals and
minerals 5.14 5.62 (9%) 5.26 5.87 (10%)
Forest
products 4.01 4.17 (4%) 4.01 4.37 (8%)
Coal 3.14 3.22 (2%) 3.10 3.40 (9%)
Grain and
fertilizers 3.13 3.28 (5%) 3.10 3.33 (7%)
Intermodal 4.31 3.92 10% 4.33 4.09 6%
Automotive 17.44 16.61 5% 17.73 17.30 2%
-------------------------------- -----------------
Carloads
(thousands)
Petroleum and
chemicals 138 125 10% 272 253 8%
Metals and
minerals 249 128 95% 489 308 59%
Forest
products 107 100 7% 210 200 5%
Coal 132 107 23% 242 197 23%
Grain and
fertilizers 136 130 5% 282 262 8%
Intermodal 364 300 21% 690 592 17%
Automotive 56 38 47% 105 70 50%
-------------------------------- -----------------
1,182 928 27% 2,290 1,882 22%
Rail freight
revenue /
carload
(dollars)
Total rail
freight
revenue per
carload 1,562 1,725 (9%) 1,587 1,752 (9%)
Commodity
groups:
Petroleum and
chemicals 2,384 2,472 (4%) 2,390 2,565 (7%)
Metals and
minerals 843 1,234 (32%) 859 1,156 (26%)
Forest
products 2,794 2,830 (1%) 2,795 2,925 (4%)
Coal 1,174 1,037 13% 1,186 1,086 9%
Grain and
fertilizers 2,404 2,538 (5%) 2,479 2,622 (5%)
Intermodal 1,093 1,060 3% 1,086 1,076 1%
Automotive 2,286 2,421 (6%) 2,305 2,414 (5%)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Such statistical data and related productivity measures are
based on estimated data available at such time and are subject to
change as more complete information becomes available.
CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY COMPANY
NON-GAAP MEASURES - unaudited
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adjusted performance measures
During the three and six months ended June 30, 2010, the Company reported adjusted net
income of $534 million, or
$1.13 per diluted share and
$914 million, or $1.93 per diluted share, respectively. The
adjusted figures for the six months ended June 30, 2010 exclude the gain on sale of the
Oakville subdivision of
$152 million, or $131 million after-tax ($0.28 per diluted share).
During the three and six months ended June 30, 2009, the Company reported adjusted net
income of $361 million, or
$0.76 per diluted share and
$663 million, or $1.40 per diluted share, respectively. The
adjusted figures for the three months ended June 30, 2009 exclude a deferred income tax
recovery of $28 million ($0.06 per diluted share), of which $12 million ($0.03
per diluted share) resulted from the enactment of a lower
provincial corporate income tax rate and $16
million ($0.03 per diluted
share) resulted from the recapitalization of a foreign investment,
as well as the impact of EJ&E acquisition-related costs of
$3 million or $2 million after-tax. The adjusted figures for
the six months ended June 30, 2009
exclude the gain on sale of the Weston subdivision of $157 million or $135
million after-tax ($0.29 per
diluted share), EJ&E acquisition-related costs of $49 million or $30
million after-tax ($0.06 per
diluted share) and a deferred income tax recovery of $43 million ($0.09
per diluted share), of which $27
million ($0.06 per diluted
share) resulted from the enactment of lower provincial corporate
income tax rates and $16 million
($0.03 per diluted share) resulted
from the recapitalization of a foreign investment.
Management believes that adjusted net income and adjusted
earnings per share are useful measures of performance that can
facilitate period-to-period comparisons, as they exclude items that
do not necessarily arise as part of the normal day-to-day
operations of the Company and could distort the analysis of trends
in business performance. The exclusion of such items in adjusted
net income and adjusted earnings per share does not, however, imply
that such items are necessarily non-recurring. These adjusted
measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP
and may, therefore, not be comparable to similar measures presented
by other companies. The reader is advised to read all information
provided in the Company's 2010 unaudited Interim Consolidated
Financial Statements and Notes thereto. The following tables
provide a reconciliation of net income and earnings per share, as
reported for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010 and 2009, to the adjusted
performance measures presented herein.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three months ended Six months ended
June 30, 2010 June 30, 2010
----------------------------- ------------------------------
In millions,
except per Adjust- Adjust-
share data Reported ments Adjusted Reported ments Adjusted
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Revenues $ 2,093 $ - $ 2,093 $ 4,058 $ - $ 4,058
Operating
expenses 1,280 - 1,280 2,642 - 2,642
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating
income 813 - 813 1,416 - 1,416
Interest
expense (91) - (91) (183) - (183)
Other income 14 - 14 176 (152) 24
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Income before
income taxes 736 - 736 1,409 (152) 1,257
Income tax
expense (202) - (202) (364) 21 (343)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Net income $ 534 $ - $ 534 $ 1,045 $ (131) $ 914
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating
ratio 61.2% 61.2% 65.1% 65.1%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Basic
earnings
per share $ 1.14 $ - $ 1.14 $ 2.22 $ (0.28) $ 1.94
Diluted
earnings
per share $ 1.13 $ - $ 1.13 $ 2.21 $ (0.28) $ 1.93
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three months ended Six months ended
June 30, 2009 June 30, 2009
----------------------------- ------------------------------
In millions,
except per Adjust- Adjust-
share data Reported ments Adjusted Reported ments Adjusted
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Revenues $ 1,781 $ - $ 1,781 $ 3,640 $ - $ 3,640
Operating
expenses 1,198 (3) 1,195 2,576 (49) 2,527
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating
income 583 3 586 1,064 49 1,113
Interest
expense (108) - (108) (220) - (220)
Other income 9 - 9 170 (157) 13
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Income before
income taxes 484 3 487 1,014 (108) 906
Income tax
expense (97) (29) (126) (203) (40) (243)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Net income $ 387 $ (26) $ 361 $ 811 $ (148) $ 663
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating
ratio 67.3% 67.1% 70.8% 69.4%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Basic
earnings
per share $ 0.83 $ (0.06) $ 0.77 $ 1.73 $ (0.32) $ 1.41
Diluted
earnings
per share $ 0.82 $ (0.06) $ 0.76 $ 1.72 $ (0.32) $ 1.40
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Constant currency
Although the Company conducts its business and reports its
earnings in Canadian dollars, a large portion of revenues and
expenses is denominated in US dollars. As such, the Company's
results are affected by exchange-rate fluctuations.
On a constant currency basis, the Company's 2010 second quarter
and first half net income would have been higher by approximately
$35 million, or $0.07 per diluted share and approximately
$76 million, or $0.16 per diluted share, respectively.
Financial results at constant currency are obtained by
translating the current period results denominated in US dollars at
the foreign exchange rate of the comparable period of the prior
year (1.1671 for the three months ended June
30 and 1.2064 for the six months ended June 30). Financial results at "constant
currency" allow results to be viewed without the impact of
fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, thereby
facilitating period-to-period comparisons in the analysis of trends
in business performance. Measures at constant currency are
considered non-GAAP measures and do not have any standardized
meaning prescribed by GAAP and may, therefore, not be comparable to
similar measures presented by other companies.
The following table presents a reconciliation of the 2010 impact
of foreign exchange using a constant currency basis:
Diluted earnings per share
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three months Six months
ended ended
June 30 June 30
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Actual foreign currency translation impact
included in net income in 2010 when compared
to the comparable period of 2009 $ 0.03 $ 0.07
Constant currency rate applied to the
increase in US dollar-denominated net income
in 2010 when compared to the comparable
period of 2009 0.04 0.09
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Impact on 2010 net income using constant
currency $ 0.07 $ 0.16
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Free cash flow
The Company generated $465 million
and $958 million of free cash flow
for the three and six months ended June 30,
2010 compared to $256 million
and $463 million for the same periods
in 2009. Free cash flow does not have any standardized meaning
prescribed by GAAP and may, therefore, not be comparable to similar
measures presented by other companies. The Company believes that
free cash flow is a useful measure of performance as it
demonstrates the Company's ability to generate cash after the
payment of capital expenditures and dividends. The Company defines
free cash flow as cash provided from operating activities, adjusted
for changes in the accounts receivable securitization program and
in cash and cash equivalents resulting from foreign exchange
fluctuations, less cash used by investing activities, adjusted for
the impact of major acquisitions, and the payment of dividends,
calculated as follows:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three months ended Six months ended
June 30 June 30
------------------------ ------------------------
In millions 2010 2009 2010 2009
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cash provided from
operating
activities $ 859 $ 632 $ 1,456 $ 950
Cash used by
investing
activities (267) (236) (250) (682)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cash provided
before financing
activities 592 396 1,206 268
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adjustments:
Change in accounts
receivable
securitization - - 2 68
Dividends paid (126) (118) (253) (236)
Acquisition of
EJ&E - - - 373
Effect of foreign
exchange
fluctuations on
US dollar-denomi-
nated cash and
cash equivalents (1) (22) 3 (10)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Free cash flow $ 465 $ 256 $ 958 $ 463
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE CN