OREANDA-NEWS. Claude Mongeau, president and chief executive officer of CN (TSX: CNR) (NYSE: CNI), will review the company’s plans to deepen its agenda of Operational and Service Excellence and become a true supply chain enabler at a two-day meeting with the investment community starting here today.

“CN’s agenda is gaining momentum,” Mongeau said. “We are building on a strong foundation of Operational and Service Excellence, with an end-to-end supply chain approach that is helping our customers win in their markets. Our focus on efficiency and profitable growth continues to drive solid shareholder value.”

In addition to Mongeau’s overview of CN’s business strategy, the company’s leadership team will discuss CN’s plans to grow the top line at low incremental cost and invest in the railway to support its agenda. The investment community heard today from CN’s safety experts about how the railway’s initiatives involving people, process, technology and investment are supporting continuous improvement in safety.

CN today updated its 2013 financial outlook and issued guidance for 2014, based on a number of assumptions, including continued economic recovery:

2013 Updated outlook (1) - CN expects to deliver 2013 adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) in the range of CAD 3.05 to CAD 3.10 and 2013 free cash flow before dividends in the range of CAD 1.5 billion to CAD 1.6 billion. The mid-point of the 2013 EPS range is consistent with CN’s initial target of achieving high single-digit adjusted diluted EPS growth in 2013, compared with 2012’s adjusted diluted EPS of CAD 2.81 (also adjusted to reflect the stock split effective Dec. 2, 2013).

2014 Guidance (1) - With its unfolding business strategy, CN is aiming to deliver double-digit EPS growth in 2014 over the mid-point of its updated adjusted diluted 2013 EPS guidance of between CAD 3.05 and CAD 3.10, as well as 2014 free cash flow before dividends of about CAD 1.6 billion to CAD 1.7 billion. CN is also planning for 2014 capital expenditures of approximately CAD 2.1 billion, compared with an expected CAD 2.0 billion in 2013.