CN announced that it will repurchase common shares under a specific share repurchase program. The purchase will form part of the Normal Course Issuer Bid for up to 33 million shares announced on Oct. 25, 2016.
CN says it "will enter into an agreement with a third party to repurchase common shares through daily purchases that will take place upon the completion of the previous agreement to March 15, 2017, subject to a maximum of 4,840,000 common shares. Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, and subject to the terms of an issuer bid exemption order issued by the Ontario Securities Commission (Order), the third party will purchase CN's common shares on the open market in accordance with the rules applicable to the Bid, for the purpose of ultimately fulfilling its delivery obligations to CN under the Agreement. The price that CN will pay for any common shares purchased by it from the third party under the Agreement will be negotiated by CN and the third party and will be at a discount to the prevailing market price of CN's common shares on the TSX at the time of the purchase."
"Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement and the Order, all purchases made by the third party or its agents on the TSX or any alternative trading markets pursuant to the Program will be made in accordance with the TSX rules applicable to the Bid, subject to limited exceptions as provided in the Order. In addition, CN and any non-independent purchasing agent acting on behalf of CN are prohibited from purchasing any other common shares during the term of the Program. CN will acquire common shares from the third party pursuant to the Agreement as part of the Bid and such common shares will be cancelled upon purchase by CN."