report of excel
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Figure 4: CJT 5-year Stock Chart
Executive Summary
2
Sector: Transportation
Buy Recommendation
Target Price: $150 (23% Upside)
Current Price as of January 12, 2023: $122.38
CJT is a high-quality business at a critical inflection point We initiate coverage on Cargojet Inc (CJT) with a BUY recommendation
based on a 12-month price target of $150 using both intrinsic and relative
valuation methods. This target price represents a 23% upside from the last
close price of $122.38 on January 12, 2023.
CJT is Canada’s largest pure play dedicated air cargo freighter, providing
time-sensitive overnight air cargo services for leading domestic and
international transportation and logistics (T&L) businesses. A recent
strategy shift positions CJT to drive strong ROIC and FCF improvements
with excess cash flow being returned to shareholders through a growing
dividend and NCIB program. We view CJT as a highly stable business with
excellent competitive positioning and attractive growth opportunities that
indicate an inflection point in its ability to generate returns.
Investment Thesis Highlights Upon valuing CJT using a DCF and comparable companies analysis, we
believe CJT presents an attractive investment opportunity with a low risk-
return profile.
Thesis #1: CJT has a domestic monopoly with minimal threat of
competition and churn
CJT services 90%+ of Canadian overnight air cargo deliveries at a 99%+
on-time performance rating. Minimal competition combined with 75%+ of its
domestic revenue from long-term contracts with high minimum volume
guarantees creates a highly stable business. The extreme cost and
challenge of insourcing middle mile freight alongside strategic agreements
with DHL and Amazon minimizes customer churn and will allow CJT to
capitalize on the growth of its customers. Given its dominant competitive
positioning, we view CJT as an extremely defensible business with a strong
competitive moat and track record of retaining customers.
Thesis #2: CJT’s high operating leverage will drive margin expansion
due to its growth opportunities
We believe the market may be pricing in modest growth and margin
expansion despite the high growth and high operating leverage nature of
the business. Amazon's focus on Canada as a key market is likely to drive
above market growth for CJT while a partnership with DHL provides them
with access to fast-growing and resilient markets in Latin America (LatAm)
and Southeast Asia (SEA). As 85% of direct costs are fixed, volumes drive
margins and CJT is poised to benefit greatly from its customers’ expansion.
Thesis #3: CJT is at an inflection point and is poised to drive
significantly higher returns
CJT has historically invested in growth at the cost of returns. Now, CJT is
at a critical inflection point where a shift in strategy to focus on profitability
and cash flow generation will drive strong ROIC improvement, as all
operating cash flows generated will go directly to shareholders through
increasing dividends and an active NCIB program. We believe this will lead
to a re-rating of CJT’s multiple and drive sustainable returns.
Figure 1: Company Data
Last Close $122.38
Market Cap $2.11B
Shares Outstanding 17.2M
52-Week High $135.27
52-Week Low $76.50
EV/NTM EBITDA 9.5x
Figure 2: Valuation Results
DCF – Terminal Growth $158
DCF – Exit Multiple $167
Comps – EV / NTM EBITDA $98
Target Price $150
Implied Return 23%
Note 1: Revenue excludes fuel surcharge
Figure 3: Financial Data
22A 23E 24E 25E
Rev.
($M)1 $713 $708 $771 $893
Rev.
Growth 21% (1%) 9% 16%
Adj.
EBITDA
($M)
$327 $309 $343 $419
Adj.
EBITDA
Margin
45.8% 43.7% 44.5% 46.9%
“CJT is an extremely well positioned business with industry-leading
customers that will drive strong growth for them. I don’t think there are any players who can disrupt CJT without
immense levels of investment over the next few years” – Expert F, freight
leader at a regional airline
Cargojet Inc (TSX: CJT)
Source: Capital IQ/Team 4 Analysis, 2024
Source: Team 4 Analysis
Source: Company Filings/Team 4 Analysis, 2023
$122
$50 $100 $150 $200 $250
Jan-19 Jan-20 Jan-21 Jan-22 Jan-23
Industry Overview
3
Business Overview
Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, CJT is
Canada’s leading middle mile provider of time-sensitive overnight air cargo
freight, servicing 90%+ of the Canadian market through its network of
facilities across 16 city centers and an extensive fleet comprised of 41
leased and owned freighter planes.
Key operating segments CJT operates 71+ routes across three main segments; 1) Domestic
Overnight; 2) ACMI, providing aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance;
3) Charter, supplying aircraft on ad hoc charter basis (Figure 5). Revenue
for the domestic overnight network is generated through customers pre-
purchasing a guaranteed space and weight allocation with contracts
featuring high minimum revenue guarantees and full fuel cost pass through.
Any remaining capacity is sold on an ad hoc basis (Figure 6). For ACMI,
CJT is paid a fixed rate to operate a flight with variable costs fully covered
by the customer (Figure 7). Charter flights are sold “all-in” with customers
paying a single, inclusive fixed amount.
Strong position in the transportation value chain As a middle mile air freight operator, CJT picks up goods from first-mile
carriers at an airport and flies them to last-mile couriers at a different airport
(Figure 8). Consistently meeting the often-volatile nature of cargo demand
establishes a symbiotic relationship between CJT and its customers, by
enabling cost reductions and risk mitigations. Emphasizing service, quality,
and punctuality, CJT has earned industry recognition through winning
numerous industry awards with a 99.4% on-time performance record drives
growth and stability in their customer base and overnight freight volume.
CJT’s recurring revenues and history of growth A key factor in CJT’s success is its long-standing customer relationships.
~75% of domestic volumes are secured under long-term contracts through
2029 (Appendix 2), including full fuel cost pass through and minimum
volume guarantees. CJT currently services 400+ customers, and has global
relationships with leading couriers, freight forwarders, specialty shippers,
and international airlines. Key customers include Amazon, DHL, Canada
Post/Purolator, and other leading T&L businesses, with Amazon and DHL
aligned through warrants (Appendix 4).
To form a view on the air freight industry, we interviewed 12 experts across
the value chain. These experts include former executives, senior advisors,
and freight leaders at competitors and customers, as well as lawyers, and
consultants who have significant exposure to the industry (Appendix 1).
Monopoly in a mature industry – Positive Air freight plays a critical role in providing fast, flexible transportation
services and is heavily tied to trade and the global economy. Air freight
caters to the transport of high-value goods, time-sensitive documents,
perishables, pharmaceuticals, and more. In Canada, there are limited
players due to the significant infrastructure investment, logistics expertise,
and anchor customers required to operate effectively. CJT operates a
monopoly on domestic air freight with Air Canada Cargo and WestJet
fulfilling most of their volumes internationally (Appendix 3).
Essential to e-commerce – Positive Air freight is essential to uphold the value proposition of e-commerce giants
like Amazon. Expedited freighters bring goods with unmatched speed and
reliability, allowing for same- and next-day delivery in a geographically
dispersed country like Canada. As e-commerce penetration continues to
rise due to behavioural shifts in consumers, dedicated freighters support
growth aspirations and uphold customer expectations. In Canada, the e-
commerce market is expected to grow at an 8% CAGR from 2023-2027,
mainly driven by Canada’s quickly growing population (Figure 9).
ACMI lessor (CJT)
ACMI lessee (DHL)
Block
Hour
ACMI
Rate
Lessor provides
the aircraft, crew,
maintenance,
insurance
Figure 7: ACMI/Charter
Business Model Overview
Figure 8: Air Freight Value
Chain
Figure 9: Canadian Retail
E-Commerce Market ($B)
Determine Chargeable Weight
The Greater of (Metric Shipping):
Actual Weight: Measured in KG
Volumetric Weight: LxWxH (cm) / 6,000
Multiplied by Air Freight Rate
$42 $46 $49
$53 $58
$62
2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027
Figure 5: 2023 Q3 Revenue
Segments
Figure 6: Domestic Business
Model Overview
First Mile: Goods are
transported to the airport
Middle Mile: Goods are
transported by air (CJT)
Last Mile: Goods transported
to final destination
Source: Company Filings, 2023
Source: Company Filings, 2023
Source: Company Filings, 2023
Source: Company Filings, 2023
Source: StatsCan, 2023
42%
29%
12%
17%
Domestic Overnight
ACMI
Charters
Fuel Surcharge
Investment Summary
Competitive Positioning
4
Ongoing freight recession – Negative There is a global freight recession that stemming from the global supply
and demand imbalance, due to softening volumes, and industry-wide over-
investment (Appendix 5). The recession has caused freight businesses to
conduct large-scale layoffs and cost-cutting initiatives to defend against the
competitive landscape, lower prices, and declines in the volume of goods.
Based on our conversations with customers and freight forwarders, the
industry is expected to recover in H2 2024 with volumes beginning to
stabilize (Figure 10) and rates are expected to recover shortly (Figure 11).
High-barrier and strict regulatory environment – Positive Domestically, a significant level of investment and expertise is required to
operate, reducing the threat of new entrants. Internationally, cabotage laws
restrict non-Canadian businesses from transporting goods between two
points in Canada, creating high-barriers for foreign air freight players.
No substitute for other transportation forms – Positive Air freight is defensible, domestically, against other transportation methods
due to its speed and less capacity restrictions. Freight customers care
about reliability and on-time performance and compared to rail and truck,
air freighters are faster and typically more reliable, entrenching the industry.
Note 1: Commercial, Note 2: Maintenance
CJT is the only scaled overnight carrier in Canada Our meetings with freight leaders at Canadian and international airlines,
indicate that the only way a dedicated air freight business can run profitably
is by having anchor customers. Canada Post, Amazon, and other leading
T&L customers create a consistent stream of volumes that sustain CJT’s
operations; which other players do not have. As CJT has recently renewed
contracts with all large-scale customers, it is very unlikely that other airlines
will pursue dedicated freight, especially as passenger businesses struggle.
Customers cannot leave and CJT gives them no reason to Customers using dedicated overnight freight primarily care about one thing:
on-time performance. CJT has leading on-time performance and experts do
not foresee any reason for customers to leave. In addition to the lack of
desirable air freight substitutes, customers will be challenged to replace
CJT in their operations due to the differences between belly and dedicated
freight (Figure 12), as few competitors exist. Our analysis also indicates a
customer would need to individually carry more than 30% of national
domestic volume to break-even on insourcing their middle mile (Figure 13).
CJT has entrenched its top customers Warrants with Amazon and DHL have created moats for the business by
strategically aligning world class customers. These warrants create strong
disincentives for these customers to leave and further entrench CJT as an
industry leader in Canada and a credible player internationally.
Thesis #1: CJT has a domestic monopoly with minimal
threat of competition and churn CJT operates cargo fundamentally different from passenger airlines who
move freight in their unused belly space. With leading reliability, strong
customer entrenchment, and minimal competition, CJT is well positioned.
CJT faces minimal competition for dedicated overnight freight
As a direct result of the anchor customers required to effectively run such a
capital-intensive business, CJT faces minimal competition in the domestic
overnight business (Figure 14). Passenger airlines who attempt to compete
using belly cargo space cannot ship large volumes of cargo, are liable to
have packages bumped, have no capacity for ad-hoc deliveries, and cannot
run dedicated freighters profitably. Attempts to branch into overnight cargo
by Air Canada and WestJet have been unsuccessful (Appendix 3).
Figure 10: Global Air Freight
Volume YoY Change (2023)
(15%)
(10%) (11%)
(5%) (3%) (2%)
3%
D e
c
J a
n
F e b
M a r
A p r
M a y
J u
n
J u
l
A u g
S e p
O c t
N o
v
D e
c
Figure 13: Cost of Insourcing
Figure 12: Dedicated Freight vs
Passenger Belly Freight
Criteria
Dedicated
Freight
Belly
freight
Time-
sensitive
deliveries
Reliable on-
time
performance
Large
volumes of
cargo
“As a former customer of CJT, they were always the only option we looked at for
anything domestic in Canada” – Expert D, CFO at an international freight forwarder
$1
$2
$3
$4
$5
$6
J a n
-1 8
J u l- 1
8
J a n
-1 9
J u l- 1
9
J a n
-2 0
J u l- 2
0
J a n
-2 1
J u l- 2
1
J a n
-2 2
J u l- 2
2
J a n
-2 3
J u l- 2
3
Figure 11: Air Freight Rates
($/kg)
1 2
“There are no real alternative competitors for dedicated freight in Canada and no
customers do enough volume to sustain their own freight operation” – Expert C, senior
executive at an international freight association
($535M)
Source: Baltic Exchange, 2024
Source: DHL, 2023
Source: Team 4 Analysis
Note 1: The question asked was ‘Do you value shopping online more than you value shopping in person?’ 1 being strongly prefer in person
shopping, 5 being that you are indifferent and 10 being that you strongly prefer online shopping. N = 97 5
CJT’s customers will not leave, and CJT has full power in the value chain
Cabotage insulation, lack of significant domestic competition (Figure 14),
and customer dependence on air transport leave CJT as an irreplicable
component of the air freight supply chain. This enables CJT to structure
contracts on terms that are favourable to them, with full fuel cost pass
through, clear block-hour requirements, dedicated time periods to use
planes, and minimum guaranteed revenues. Beyond CJT’s power as a sole
monopoly in a high-barrier to entry industry, the extreme cost and logistical
challenge associated with fulfilling middle mile services deters customers
from churning, as experts believe no customers have enough volume to
fulfill their own demand in an efficient and profitable manner.
CJT has strategic alignment with key customers
Experts interviewed believe customers are highly satisfied with CJT’s on-
time performance and have no interest in leaving. For larger customers like
Amazon and DHL, CJT issued warrants for greater strategic alignment, an
incentive to solidify revenues, and to further reduce the risk of replacement.
CJT plays an important role in Amazon and DHL’s expansive e-commerce
strategies both in Canada and abroad. Warrants that will vest to Amazon
and DHL owning 14.9% and 9.5% of the business, respectively, further
entrench CJT as an industry leader. <
Thesis #2: CJT’s high operating leverage will drive margin
expansion due to its growth opportunities CJT has a high degree of operating leverage with 85% of direct costs being
fixed. These costs are largely driven by facility and fleet expansion, which
we believe is unlikely as CJT has excess capacity due to significant levels
of investment during COVID. High operating leverage combined with strong
growth from its industry leading customers will drive margin expansion.
A reverse DCF indicates the market seems to be pricing in modest revenue
growth and subtle margin expansion
Holding all other assumptions constant, it appears the market is pricing in
revenue growth at a 6.0% CAGR and slight margin expansion (Appendix
12). This is much lower than e-commerce growth rates within Canada and
other CJT focused regions. Stronger than priced-in growth combined with
CJT’s high operating leverage will drive margin expansion that we believe
this is not reflected in CJT’s current share price.
Domestic growth opportunities remain attractive due to shifting consumer
behaviour and a quickly growing population
Amazon has marked Canada as one of its most important markets due to
its low e-commerce penetration (Figure 15) and high population growth.
Throughout COVID, consumer habits have pivoted to favour online
shopping in a meaningful way (Figure 16). This behaviour shift has caused
Amazon and other customers to invest heavily in Canada to capitalize on
the growth (Appendix 6), which will subsequently drive strong volumes to
CJT at low incremental costs.
CJT’s international exposure through DHL is in highly attractive regions
with globally leading e-commerce growth
DHL’s executive leadership has emphasized CJT’s important role in their
global expansion plans, paving the way for significant growth opportunities
over the long-term (Appendix 6). DHL comprises 95% of CJT's ACMI
business and their warrants anticipate $2.3B in revenue over seven years.
Given their strategic priority to heavily invest in SEA and LatAm (Appendix
7), we expect CJT will capitalize on cargo routes to these high growth
regions (Figure 17). CJT fulfills numerous routes for DHL through SEA,
Europe, and LatAm and will benefit strongly from DHL’s recent total $1.3B
investment in the regions. We believe DHL’s market leadership will drive
sustained volumes to CJT as they are strategically partnered with leading
e-commerce marketplaces and will capture significant growth.
Figure 14: Full-Size Dedicated
Cargo Total Fleet
Figure 15: Global E-Commerce
Penetration
12%
13%
14%
14%
14%
16%
30%
31%
32%
47%
Canada
Russia
Japan
Singapore
Mexico
US
S. Korea
UK
Indonesia
China
Figure 16: Team 4 E-Commerce
Behaviour Survey1
“Despite spending cuts in the US, Amazon has made significant investments into Canada near CJT hubs, due to the attractiveness of
the Canadian e-commerce market” – Expert B, consultant with 15+ years of air freight
experience
Figure 17: E-Commerce
Growth Rates
“Cargojet is an important aviation partner of DHL… its versatile cargo fleet and high on-
time reliability position us well to capitalize on the dynamically growing e-commerce market” – Mike Parra, CEO, DHL Americas
Source: Company Filings, 2024
Source: Team 4 Analysis
Source: Oberlo, 2023
Source: Americas Market Intelligence, DHL, 2023
17%
33%
27%
22%
18%
35%
22%
Brazil
Mexico
Colombia
Argentina
Chile
Peru
Southeast Asia
6.5
7.8
Pre-COVID Post-COVID
41
13 7 4
Valuation
6Note 1: Atlas Air was acquired by Apollo (Appendix 16)
We conducted both an intrinsic and relative valuation to arrive at a 12-
month target price of $150 per share, a 23% upside from CJT’s closing
price of $122.38 on January 12, 2024 (Figure 22). Our methodology
assigns a weighting of 80% on our DCF (exit multiple and terminal growth)
and a 20% weight on our comparable companies analysis (EV/NTM
EBITDA) due to the uniqueness of CJT’s operations and competitive moat.
DCF with 5-year projection period We valued CJT using a 5-year DCF model. CJT’s disclosure is limited, so
forecasting volumes, rates and costs by segment is unreliable as there are
complexities and nuances in the business. Instead, we have forecasted
revenue by percentage growth for each segment to reflect the underlying
drivers of the different segments.
Revenue growth As CJT represents 90%+ of the domestic overnight market, growth has
historically been strongly correlated to the growth of e-commerce in
Canada. We forecast growth in the domestic business at a 6.6% CAGR, to
126% 153%
139%
51%
95%
187%
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 CJT Atlas ATSG
Figure 18: Capex / Adj. EBITDA
3%
8%
13%
2017A 2019A 2021A 2023E WACC ROIC
Figure 20: Historical ROIC
28 31 39 43 43
$0
$200
$400
2020A 2021A 2022A 2027E 2028E
Revenue/Capacity(lbs) Fleet Size
Figure 21: CJT Revenue per
Lb. of Cargo Volume
Figure 19: Capex Spend ($M)
Figure 22: Target Price Ranges
Current | $122 Target | $150
“CJT’s pursuit of growth and leadership has come at the sacrifice of returns. The business is now at a critical inflection point where it no longer needs to invest in its fleet to maintain
its leadership and keep pace with future demand and excess cash flows will go straight to shareholders” – Expert A,
consultant with 20+ years of air freight experience
Comps - EV/NTM EBITDA (20%)
DCF - Terminal Growth (40%)
DCF - Exit Multiple (40%)
52-Week Range
Source: Capital IQ, 2024
Source: Company Filings, 2024
Source: Company Filings/Team 4 Analysis, 2024
Source: Team 4 Analysis
Source: Team 4 Analysis
Thesis #3: CJT is at an inflection point and is poised to
drive significantly higher returns CJT's pursuit of growth and industry leadership led to sacrifices in FCF and
ROIC (Appendix 8). Now at a key inflection point, CJT no longer requires
significant fleet investments, resulting in minimal capex. This shift promises
higher ROIC, with excess cash flowing directly to shareholders.
CJT’s past investments have focused on growth, putting pressure on ROIC
CJT’s proportional capex spend has consistently surpassed dedicated
freight peers (Atlas1 and ATSG) over the last five years (Figure 18). In
2022 alone, capex spend represented approximately 32% of CJT’s
cumulative capex since 2005 (Figure 19). CJT has made significant
investments in its fleet to consolidate the Canadian market and capture the
surge in e-commerce. Consequently, excluding the COVID period, CJT has
consistently produced subpar ROIC due to its investment in growth (Figure
20). This has led to CJT’s stock trading down, reflecting concerns regarding
FCF generation and poor ROIC in a higher cost of capital environment.
CJT’s investment in its fleet has led to excess capacity
As announced during a January 15th, 2024, press conference, CJT has
excess capacity. During CJT’s growth period, they expanded from 22
aircrafts in 2016 to 41 in 2023, moving away from those with limited
payload capacity to wide-body planes, allowing for more efficient volume
reconsolidation, driving margin improvements. Analysis of CJT’s total
capacity across its fleet reveals that revenue per pound of cargo volume
will not exceed pre-pandemic levels (Figure 21). This means fixed costs
will remain highly stable and there is minimal need for growth capex. This
will lead to greatly reduced capex spend and stronger returns.
Strategic shift: prioritizing cash flow and capital return to shareholders
CJT is streamlining its fleet and pausing its expensive international
expansion strategy. This shift will reduce future growth capex by $450M.
CJT has canceled all of the initially planned eight 777 freighters and listed
four Boeing 757s for sale. These adjustments showcase management’s
agility and are forecasted to result in strong positive FCF and ROIC (Figure
28). To underscore this strategic focus towards shareholder value, CJT
announced a NCIB program to buy back 8.7% of public float by the end of
2024 and a 10% increase in quarterly dividends. CJT has already
repurchased 2.1% of public float. These initiatives signal a long-term
emphasis on returning capital to shareholders and were received positively
by the market, as CJT has traded up 45% since the announcement. We
strongly believe that combined with CJT’s strong growth potential, its
strategy shift will drive long-term, sustainable returns for shareholders.
reflect a conservative view on the 8.0% CAGR of the e-commerce market
in Canada. As DHL represents 95% of CJT’s ACMI business, we have
forecasted growth in the segment to reflect the nature of CJT’s relationship
with DHL. CJT is an important part of DHL’s expansion into LatAm and will
benefit greatly from 20%+ CAGR’s expected in the region (Figure 17).
Through strategic warrants, DHL is expected to deliver $2.3B in revenue to
CJT by 2029 (Appendix 4). We have taken a conservative view on a mix of
LatAm growth and the expected revenue from DHL to forecast growth at a
12.0% CAGR in the ACMI business. The charter business performed
strongly during COVID due to the high volume of emergency flights. CJT
fulfilled emergency PPE flights for the Canadian Government and rescue
flights for the Hawaii wildfires. We do not believe growth in the segment is
sustainable and is forecasted to contract to pre-COVID levels to reflect a
normalized level of charter demand.
Management’s strategy shift As outlined in Thesis #3 on p. 5, CJT has undergone a recent strategy shift.
Management plans to complete its capex plan by 2025 with the focus
shifting to cost optimization to drive higher margins. This has been reflected
in our valuation as we have forecasted minimal growth capex after 2025.
Due to the high operating leverage nature of CJT’s business (85% of direct
costs are fixed excluding, fuel), margins are largely driven by volume
growth. We have conviction in CJT’s growth prospects and margin
expansion, driving modest EBITDA margin growth over the projection
period from 44% in 2023E to 48% in 2028E (Figure 24).
WACC Cost of Debt: We considered three methodologies to calculate the cost of
debt: 1) the rate used to calculate the PV of hybrid debentures, 2) weighted
average interest rate on hybrid debentures, and 3) credit spreads. We
believe the rate of 7% used to calculate the PV of hybrid debt reflects the
long-term borrowing capabilities of CJT more than the weighted average
borrowing cost of 5.5% and is a more conversative view on their cost of
debt. CJT does not have a reported credit rating, as such, we could not
benchmark CJT’s cost of borrowing against similarly rated peers.
Cost of Equity: CJT’s beta of 1.17 was derived from relevering its peers’
unlevered beta at CJT’s target capital structure1. This is a less aggressive
view than CJT’s 5-year monthly beta of 1.04. We used CAPM to calculate
cost of equity as, in a higher rate environment, CAPM is reflective of
investors’ return requirements. CAPM derives an implied cost of equity of
9.10%, which is similar to CJT’s 5-year average return on equity of 8.82%.
WACC: CJT is at its target leverage ratio, extrapolating at its current D/E
level using a cost of equity of 9.10% with an after-tax cost of debt of 5.11%
implies a WACC of 8.20% (Figure 26).This is conservative in relation to
Damodaran’s industry average cost of capital for air transport of 6.98%2.
Terminal growth and exit multiple We assumed a terminal growth rate of 2.25% given the strong correlation
between GDP growth and the Canadian 10-year government bond yields of
3.25%. Our chosen exit multiple is 9.0x which is a strong discount to CJT’s
historical 5-year EV/NTM EBITDA multiple of 11.0x (Appendix 17). As a
result of CJT’s competitive moat and attractive FCF generation potential,
we believe CJT should trade closer to its long-term average when
combined with the premium it historically traded at above other pure plays.
Comparable companies analysis We have chosen a peer set comprising of businesses that have similar
underlying drivers as CJT. Based on our comp set with criteria outlined in
Appendix 15, CJT currently trades at a premium to peers implying a 20%
downside (Figure 27). We have chosen to weigh comps at 20% of our
valuation due to the uniqueness of CJT’s business and competitive moat.
CJT is a domestic monopoly in a high-barrier industry with long-term
contracts that include high minimum revenue guarantees. We have not
included FCF multiples as CJT has historically been cash flow negative and
complex balance sheet items skew earnings-based multiples.
7Note 1: Excludes outliers ATSG and Chorus Aviation, Note 2: Source (Aswath Damodaran)
Figure 23: Segmented Revenue
$327 $309 $343
$473 $543
46% 44% 45% 47% 48%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
45.00%
50.00%
55.00%
60.00%
65.00%
70.00%
75.00%
$0
$100
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
2022A 2023E 2024E 2026E 2028E
Adj. EBITDA
Adj. EBITDA Margin %
Figure 24: EBITDA Forecast
$714 $708 $771 $1,000
$1,124
2022A 2023E 2024E 2026E 2028E
Domestic ACMI Charter
Pre-tax Cost of Debt 7.00%
Tax Rate 27%
After-tax cost of debt 5.11%
Figure 26: WACC Buildup
Risk-free rate 3.25%
Market risk premium 5.00%
Levered beta 1.17
Cost of Equity 9.10%
Net debt $764M
Market value of equity $2,598M
Enterprise value $3,361M
WACC 8.20%
4.8x 5.3x
8.5x
11.2x
6.7x
12.2x
9.5x
Average: 8.2x
Figure 27: EV / NTM EBITDA
Figure 25: Case Scenarios
Criteria Bear Base Bull
Revenue
CAGR 5.3% 8.0% 10.8%
EBITDA
Margins
44%
->43%
44%
->48%
44%
->52%
Implied
Return 3% 33% 100%
Source: Team 4 Analysis
Source: Team 4 Analysis
Source: Team 4 Analysis
Source: Team 4 Analysis
Source: Capital IQ/Team 4 Analysis, 2024
8%
13%
13% 4%
23%
Bear Base Bull
8
Financial Analysis
Stronger than anticipated post-COVID growth COVID was a perfect storm for CJT. Massive supply/demand imbalances
due to the cancellation of passenger flights and the boom in e-commerce
meant CJT benefited from excess demand and a lack of capacity. While
COVID growth rates are not sustainable, we believe CJT has significant
growth opportunities post COVID through their top-quality customers, as
outlined in Thesis #2 on p. 4.
Margins stabilize above pre-COVID levels Net operating profit margins increased during COVID as e-commerce grew
significantly and capacity diminished due to a lack of passenger flights. CJT
filled the gap for cargo traditionally transported in passenger aircrafts and
shipped critical goods such as PPE and COVID test-kits, which drove
higher margins due to increasing volumes. These tailwinds were unique,
and top-line will not grow as rapidly as it did during the pandemic. However,
in the future, we expect margins to stabilize above pre-pandemic levels as
CJT has already managed their largest cost driver, capacity utilization. By
selling off smaller aircrafts and consolidating cargo volume, CJT now
avoids suboptimal routes, reducing operating costs. Margins are expected
to expand to drive higher FCF in a sustainable manner.
Increasing returns for investors Management’s strategy shift is anticipated to drive higher ROIC for
investors. While it is too early to see any impact from the strategy shift, our
analysis indicates it will drive ROIC improvement above pre-pandemic
levels by 2025 (Figure 29). Improved operating efficiency and growth
spending reductions combined with growing dividends (Figure 30) and an
NCIB program (Figure 31) will drive higher returns for investors despite
entering a higher cost of capital environment. As this has been a historical
concern for investors, we believe it will be a catalyst for stock performance.
Strong sustainable cash flows Despite the possibility of increased capital expenditures resulting from
significant volume growth, CJT's lean operations and sizeable margins will
persist, ensuring the generation of substantial FCF. Furthermore, as a
monopolistic middle mile air freight operator, we believe that CJT’s
forecasted steady FCF profile is sustainable.
Improving credit profile CJT has made meaningful strides in reducing its leverage, seen in its
increasing interest coverage ratio and decreasing debt/EBITDA ratio
(Figure 32) to its target leverage levels. The company is maintaining a
strong balance sheet through its asset sales and reduction in capex. CJT’s
level of debt capacity also enables them to pursue aggressive growth
should market conditions be optimal for it and historically, CJT has
performed extremely well during times of expansive market conditions
related to e-commerce, especially during COVID.
Figure 31: Share Buybacks
Figure 29: ROIC Forecast
COVID
Figure 32: Debt/EBITDA
4.1x 4.8x
4x
2x 1.4x
2.2x 2.6x
'17A '18A '19A '20A '21A '22A '23E
Target leverage: 1.5x-2.5x
Figure 30: Dividend Growth
$0.19 $0.21 $0.21 $0.23 $0.26 $0.28
$0.31
'17A '18A '19A '20A '21A '22A '23A
NCIB announced and approved
on November 7, 2023
CJT can acquire a maximum of
1.5M shares, representing
8.72% of outstanding shares
Ends November 8, 2024
1
Source: Company Filings, Team 4 Analysis
Source: Team 4 Analysis
Source: Company Filings, 2023
Source: Company Filings, 2023
Source: Company Filings/ Team 4 Analysis, 2023
2019A 2020A 2021A 2022A 2023E 2024E 2025E 2026E 2027E 2028E
DuPont Analysis
Gross Margin 32.8% 45.2% 39.4% 34.7% 22.7% 24.8% 30.5% 33.2% 34.8% 35.1%
EBITDA Margin 43.1% 16.8% 58.6% 55.2% 41.4% 42.4% 45.1% 45.8% 46.4% 46.9%
Adjusted EBITDA Margin 32.2% 52.1% 49.3% 45.8% 43.7% 44.5% 46.9% 47.4% 47.8% 48.3%
Net Profit Margin 2.4% -13.1% 22.1% 19.5% 8.4% 5.7% 10.6% 13.3% 14.7% 14.9%
Asset Turnover 0.4x 0.6x 0.6x 0.6x 0.5x 0.5x 0.5x 0.6x 0.6x 0.5x
Return on Assets 1.1% -7.8% 12.9% 11.4% 3.8% 2.7% 5.7% 7.6% 8.3% 7.8%
Financial Leverage (A/E) 4.0x 5.8x 3.5x 2.4x 2.5x 2.4x 2.1x 1.8x 1.6x 1.5x
Return on Equity 4.2% -44.8% 45.6% 27.6% 9.5% 6.4% 11.9% 13.8% 13.6% 12.1%
Return on Invested Capital 5.0% 12.7% 11.5% 8.5% 3.9% 5.3% 8.8% 11.3% 12.6% 12.8%
Liquidity
Current Ratio 0.6x 0.5x 2.0x 0.8x 0.8x 0.7x 0.9x 2.1x 3.1x 4.5x
Quick Ratio 0.6x 0.5x 2.0x 0.7x 0.7x 0.7x 0.8x 2.0x 3.0x 4.4x
Debt Ratios
Interest Coverage Ratio 1.4x 4.3x 5.6x 5.1x 1.7x 2.6x 4.9x 7.4x 8.5x 8.9x
Debt / Adj. EBITDA 4.0x 2.0x 1.4x 2.2x 2.6x 2.1x 1.4x 1.0x 1.0x 0.9x
Figure 28: DuPont Analysis
9
Investment Risks
Risk #1: Customer concentration risk Customer concentration poses a notable risk as 80% of CJT’s revenue is
derived from its top 10 customers (Figure 35), a consequence of the
oligopolistic nature of Canadian delivery services. Potential alternatives
such as rail, passenger plane belly cargo space, or inshoring by key
customers could adversely impact revenues and influence other customers
to seek better contracts or leave.
Mitigant: Despite the risk, CJT benefits from a lack of alternatives in the
market. Customers have few viable alternatives as other methods of freight
lack the timeliness required and passenger belly freight is unreliable. The
stable nature of revenues is attributed to world-class anchor customers with
long-term contracts, creating a scenario where customers are locked in and
satisfied, reducing the incentive for churn. Additionally, the sheer cost of
insourcing the middle mile creates strong disincentives to customer churn
as it is highly unlikely customers could profitably insource their middle mile.
Risk #2: Inability to turn around ROIC CJT’s historical struggle to drive ROIC above a minimum return threshold
concerns investors as they enter a higher cost of capital environment.
Investors are concerned about management’s ability to generate returns as
rates continue to rise and the macro environment for freight softens.
Mitigant: CJT’s track record of flexible capital management, evident in
selling planes even during recessions, supports our view of their ability to
manage through a higher cost of capital environment. Management's
commitment to completing growth capex plans by 2025 (Figure 36),
combined with ongoing cost-cutting measures and optimized capacity
utilization, mitigates the risk of inefficiency. Attractive growth avenues at
minimal incremental cost combined with high operating leverage will likely
lead to sustained margin expansion and cash flow growth.
Risk #3: Heightened International Competition Although the threat of new entrants is low, DHL and Amazon have their
own dedicated air freight businesses through ACMI agreements with other
airlines. This would limit CJT’s sole focus on high-growth areas. Market
share growth is constrained domestically, and international expansion is
highly challenging. The primary growth source lies in the expanding e-
commerce market (Figure 37 / Appendix 6/7).
Mitigant: Despite domestic limitations, CJT is well-positioned to stay
strategically aligned based on a proven track record that maintains top
performance. We can expect CJT to capitalize on DHL’s expected double-
digit growth in SEA and LatAm. CJT’s high quality customers are leaders in
their respective markets and are partnered with leading local e-commerce
players which will continue to drive strong volumes for CJT, despite
slowdowns in the macro environment.
Figure 33: Risk Matrix
Note 1: Adj. EBITDA Margins based on revenue incl. fuel surcharge
57%23%
20%
Top 3 Top 10 Other
Figure 35: Customer
Concentration
R1
L ik
e li h
o o
d
Impact
R3
R2
Figure 37: Amazon
Investments in Canada
Figure 36: CJT Capex
Breakdown ($M)
45 65
2021 Present
While Canadian facilities grew 40%,
facilities in the United States decreased
by 8% in the same period
Management plans to
complete majority of
its growth capex plan
by 2025E
R4
Superior EBITDA margins against peers As evident by Figure 34, CJT has consistently stronger margins than
peers. This is due to CJT’s strong competitive moat and monopolistic
characteristics in Canada and favourable agreements with customers. We
believe CJT’s margin advantage is sustainable as the business continues
to focus on cost optimization efforts to further enhance profitability.
2019 2020 2021 2022 LTM
Cargojet 32% 44% 39% 34% 35%
Atlas Air 18% 26% 25% 19% n/a
ATSG 30% 32% 31% 31% 27%
Chorus Airways 25% 36% 26% 24% 28%
Figure 34: Peer Adj. EBITDA Margins1
Source: Company Filings, 2023
Source: Company Filings, 2023
Source: Company Filings/Team 4 Analysis, 2023
$84 $165
$482
$31 $32 $31 $0
'20A '21A '22A '23E '24E '25E '26E
Maintenance Capex Growth Capex
Source: Capital IQ, 2024
Meeting
Date Ease
No
Change
1/31/2024 18.6% 81.4%
3/20/2024 77.2% 22.8%
5/1/2024 97.0% 3.0%
6/12/2024 100.0% 0.0%
7/31/2024 100.0% 0.0%
9/18/2024 100.0% 0.0%
With the upward trend in the importance of and efforts toward achieving
sustainability, CJT’s ESG profile impacts stakeholder views on the
business. CJT is rated as a medium risk by ESG rating agencies (Figure
39), with environment and social being weaker components as there is less
disclosure on initiatives (Appendix 17). Based on our internal analysis of
the most important and industry relevant ESG factors (Figure 40), CJT
does not lag peers in any category. Our scorecard method is further
detailed in Appendix 18.
Environmental CJT engages in initiatives led by the Canadian government, sustainability
regulatory bodies, and is aligned with the global aviation industry.
Global aviation industry goals: The aviation industry contributes about
11% of the world’s emissions, which is why the United Nations Climate
Change Conference committed to net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions by 2050. CJT joins industry players in improving their fuel
efficiency, carbon-neutral growth, and reduction in net aviation CO2
emissions. CJT is in line with dedicated freight peers with respect to their
emissions score, creating no cause for concern.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel: As a founding member of the Canadian
Council for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (C-SAF), CJT’s role is to accelerate
the commercial production and use of Canadian-produced low-carbon SAF.
While SAF is seen as a costly method to decarbonize, there is currently no
alternative that is as universally implementable or effective. However, with
the current regulatory limits and production capabilities for SAF, C-SAF
activism may not be as impactful for CJT’s GHG emissions in the next year.
Carbon capture and offsetting: CJT is a participating airline under the
Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation
(CORSIA) and is required to monitor, report carbon emissions, as well as
purchase carbon offsets. Furthermore, CJT plans to adopt small-scale
Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage technology to capture residual
emissions once these devices become available. However, this is highly
dependent on the technology development and availability of devices.
Fleet modernization and optimization: CJT recognizes the challenges
they face due to the inherently carbon inefficient air cargo model of
converting old passenger planes, thus taking a multi-pronged approach by
modernizing their fleet, implementing the Fleet Efficiency and Optimization
Program, and implementing the Aircraft Maintenance and Load Control
Program to minimize GHG emissions unrelated to customer flying hours.
Social CJT is in line with regulations and has management support to promote
safety and diversity in their workforce.
Figure 39: ESG Scorecard
Overall
Score Environ. Social Gov.
LSEG 37/100 21 47 44
Morningstar 27.1/40+
Bloomberg 3.39/10 2.72 2.47 6.2
Team 4 3.5/5 3.4 3.2 3.8
3.4
3.2
3.7
3.5
0 1 2 3 4 5
Environment
Social
Governance
Overall
CJT ATSG FedEx UPS DHL
10
ESG
Overall
Rating
CEO
Approval
Would Rec.
to a Friend
CJT 4.1 88% 84%
Atlas Air 3.7 99% 70%
Air Canada 3.6 69% 67%
WestJet 3.4 39% 57%
Figure 41: Employee Reviews
Figure 40: Team 4 ESG
Scorecard
Risk #4: Prolonged impact of the freight recession The current freight recession, triggered by post-pandemic interest rate
hikes leading to decreased consumer spending combined with industry-
wide over-investment in freight capacity poses a threat to CJT’s financial
performance. As consumer spending diminishes, demand for cargo
services may remain subdued, impacting volumes and, consequently,
revenue. The prolonged nature of this recession could exacerbate the
challenge, leading to sustained financial pressure.
Mitigant: CJT’s ability to weather the impact of the freight recession is
supported by its strong performance throughout the ongoing freight
recession as well as its geographically diversified revenue streams,
operational flexibility, and high-quality customer base. While the business
may experience a slowdown, the company's established relationships with
major players like Amazon and DHL and high minimum volume
guarantees, CPI-based price escalations and full fuel cost pass through
provide a level of stability and resilience. Figure 38 also demonstrates
investors believe interest rates will decline, providing relief for CJT.
Figure 38: Interest Rate
Forecast
Source: Apollo Global Management, 2023
Source: Company Websites/Team 4 Analysis, 2023
Source: Team 4 Analysis, 2024
Source: Glassdoor, 2024
Workplace health & safety: All CJT employees receive mandatory health
and safety training at onboarding and refresher training every three years
per regulation guidance. In addition, CJT also provides a Non-Punitive
Safety Reporting system that all employees can access to report incidents,
a whistleblower program, and an Employee Assistance Program for
employee well-being and safety.
Workforce: CJT discloses the diversity of their workforce, with 16%
identifying as female, 27% as a visible minority, and 2.1% as persons with
disabilities; similar to their diversity in the prior year. As an air cargo carrier,
CJT employs around 300 pilots and 1,500 logistics and warehousing
personnel. These careers have been pre-dominantly male; with only around
6% of pilots globally being women and 7% in Canada. Considering the
industry diversity, CJT’s workforce is much more diverse than initially
implied. Overall employee reviews of CJT are more positive than other
airline peers, with a high CEO approval and likeliness to recommend the
company to a friend (Figure 41). CJT has one group of unionized
employees, pilots, that are represented by the Airline Pilots Association
(ALPA). CJT’s collective bargaining agreement expires in 2026 and from
our discussions with lawyers that have experience with dealing with airline
unions, we believe there is a low likelihood of an adverse outcome.
Governance CJT has strong corporate governance practices and policies that align
management interests with its stakeholders.
Shareholder ownership: CJT is currently majority owned by institutional
investors and as part of passive mutual funds (Figure 42). RBC Dominion
Securities is the only current shareholder that owns more than 10% with
Amazon and DHL poised to own 14.9% and 9.5% of CJT respectively if
their warrants are exercised (Appendix 4). We do not believe there are any
shareholders that will exercise significant or negative influence over CJT.
Executive Compensation: Executives are compensated through a base
salary, a STIP, and an LTIP, with 74% of compensation being variable in
2022 (Figure 43). STIP and LTIP are based on CJT’s adjusted EBITDA for
the year, annual absolute ROIC, and relative total shareholder return, which
strongly aligns management with CJT’s strategy. On a relative basis,
executive compensation is greater than peers (Figure 44), however, CJT’s
total compensation in the past five years is significantly lower despite
generating higher shareholder returns compared to the majority of peers
(Figure 45), indicating strong and effective pay for performance links and
excellent management. We have strong conviction in management’s ability
to execute on their strategy shift due to their alignment through STIP and
LTIP, as well as their ability to generate above average returns in recent
years compared to peers.
Management: CJT’s newly appointed co-CEOs, Jamie Porteous and
Pauline Dhillon, have been with CJT since its inception. The management
team is comprised of highly experienced individuals, with decades of
relevant industry experience and prior executive experience, ensuring CJT
is well-positioned to execute on the opportunities ahead (Appendix 19).
With the industry experience and familiarity with CJT’s historical growth
strategies and successes, CJT’s management is very well-positioned to
execute on the ongoing strategy shift. The co-CEO transition will benefit
from the involvement of Dr. Ajay Virmani, the founder of CJT, who will
remain involved in the business as the Executive Chairman.
Board of Directors: The tenure of the Board, excluding their newest
member, ranges from 5 to 17 years, with strong shareholder approval
ratings in 2022. With the addition of the new member, there is a 40%
female representation on CJT’s Board, surpassing both the average
representation of women on Canadian boards and that on the boards of
other airlines. The diversity of industry experience across the Board
members and years of experience in management positions and other
board positions positively reflects on the abilities of CJT’s Board (Appendix
20).
Figure 43: Executive Historical
Compensation Mix
11Note 1: Does not incorporate CEO change
Figure 45: Executive Comp. vs
Shareholder Returns
Figure 44: Executive
Compensation Benchmarking
83% 82% 88% 65% 74%
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Fixed Variable
$53 $40
$183 $218
$118
68%
(30%)
46% 62%
85%
-120%
-70%
-20%
30%
80%
0
100
200
300
400
500
Cargojet ATSG FedEx UPS DHL
Total Comp. ($M) 5Y-Return
$0.98
$16.60 $1.64
$90.16
1.20% 0.11% 0.34% 0.04%
-50%
-40%
-30%
-20%
-10%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Cargojet Air Canada
Air Transat
FedEx
Annual Revenue ($B)
% of Annual Revenue
1
“Cargojet’s management team is highly capable and having Ajay stay involved in the
business will massively support the success of the strategy shift” – Expert A, consultant with
+20 years of air freight experience
Figure 42: Shareholder
Ownership Assuming Amazon
and DHL Warrants are
Exercised
Source: Capital IQ/Company Filings, 2023
Source: Company Filings, 2023
Source: Company Filings, 2023
Source: Capital IQ, 2023
37%
35%
15%
10% 3%
Institutions
Public
Amazon
DHL
Insiders
12
Appendix 1: Expert Interviews Conducted1
Segment breakdown and revenue generation Key customers
Domestic Network: The domestic air cargo network generates revenue
primarily through customers pre-purchasing a guaranteed space and
weight allocation on CJT’s fleet network. As a result, a significant amount
of domestic revenues are contracted (over 75% of domestic volumes) due
to guaranteed allocations but will fluctuate with customer volume. The
remaining capacity in the domestic network is sold on an ad hoc basis to
varying contract and non-contract customers.
ACMI: Under an ACMI agreement, CJT provides aircraft, crew,
maintenance and insurance to a customer. Variable flight costs such as
fuel, navigation fees and landing fees are borne by the customer. CJT is
paid a fixed amount to operate the flight priced as a rate per block hour.
Charter: CJT provides dedicated aircraft to customers on an ad hoc and
scheduled basis typically in the daytime and on weekends for cargo and
passenger charters. Charter flights are sold at an “all-in” basis where the
customer will pay a single, all inclusive fixed amount per flight.
Fuel Surcharge: CJT’s domestic customer contracts contain variable
surcharges for uncontrollable costs with the ability to pass through 100% of
fuel costs on to customers.
Domestic Network: CJT has
signed long-term agreements with
Amazon, Canada Post and UPS
who are key customers in the
domestic segment. Other customers
include leading T&L businesses like
FedEx, TFI International and others.
ACMI: CJT has a long-term ACMI/
CMI agreement with DHL through
2029 to support their international
expansion.
Charter: Demand in this segment is
variable, with examples including
carrying COVID test kits and PPE
for the Canadian Government.
$249 $264 $300 $325 $361 $121 $124 $115 $167
$267 $176
$240 $439 $487
$669 $758 $981
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Domestic Surcharge & Other ACMI Charters
Expert A • Consultant with 20+ years in air cargo at a leading global consulting firm
Expert B • Consultant with 15+ years in air cargo at a leading global consulting firm
Expert C • Senior executive at an International Freight Association
Expert D • CFO at a leading international freight forwarder
Expert E • Freight leader at an international airline
Expert F • Freight leader at a regional airline
Expert G • Senior freight leader at a top 10 customer of CJT
Expert H • Board director at an air freight company with 30+ years of experience in air freight
Expert I • Former IT executive at an international airline
Expert J • Senior leader at a law firm that has previously covered airline union disputes
Expert K • Freight leader at a Latin American airline
Expert L • Consultant with project experience advising transportation and logistics companies on ESG matters
Expert M • Consultant with project experience advising airports on cargo expansion strategies
Appendix 2: Breakdown of Business Segments
Source: Company Filings, 2023
Note 1: Experts are not named due to requests to maintain confidentiality
13
Appendix 3: Competitor Profiles
Note 1: UPS, FDX, DHL, 2. CNR, CP, UNP, 3. ATSG, CHR, 4. SAIA, JBHT, KNX, ODFL, MTL, TFI, XPO
Appendix 4: Amazon and DHL Warrants
Appendix 5: Peer Performance/Freight Recession Overview
Amazon Warrants to acquire 9.9% + 5.0% of
CJT – August 23, 2019:
Share Price: $102.33
Strike Price: $91.78
Status: Vesting
Terms: $400M in revenue delivered during 2019 –
2026 period
DHL Warrants to acquire 9.5% of CJT – March
29, 2022
Share Price: $185.03
Strike Price: $158.92
Status: Vesting
Terms: $2.3B in revenue from 2022 –2029
Lower Risk of
Replacement
Warrants significantly reduce the risk of key
customer churn while creating incentives for
increased economic activity.
Cash Inflow Assuming warrants are exercised, CJT can use the
cash for Capex, debt paydowns and buybacks.
Guaranteed
Revenue
Financial incentives encourages major customers
to invest alongside CJT and continue to grow with
them.
Aligned
Interests
In similar agreements, Amazon has held shares
after exercising and has acted as a strategic
partner to ATSG and Atlas.
• Operates a diverse fleet that moves
cargo in the belly of passenger planes.
• Operates 7/200 planes as dedicated
cargo freighters.
• Prioritizes passenger baggage,
special deliveries, urgent shipments,
temperature sensitive goods, human
remains, and humanitarian aid above
cargo.
• Unable to offer time-sensitive
guarantees to customers and is not
focused on expedited overnight freight.
• Cancelled plans to add two B777s to
their fleet of dedicated freighters after
underperforming in Q2 2023.
• Attempted the conversion of four
passenger planes to dedicated cargo,
the completion of which took over a
year for regulatory approval.
• Experienced low bookings on
dedicated cargo planes and have been
unsuccessful so far.
• Unable to guarantee timeliness to
customers for belly-cargo business due
to the likelihood of being bumped by
higher priority packages.
• Few long-term contracts with
important customers and no anchor
customer exists to provide volume
certainty.
• There are a few small dedicated
freighters focused on fulfilling select
routes for single customers.
• Morningstar Air Express supports
some FedEx volume but is primarily
focused on charters.
• Buffalo Airways services a dedicated
freighter route between Edmonton and
Yellowknife and is focused exclusively
in Northern Canada.
• There are no other scaled, nationwide
players that are focused on domestic
overnight.
Since 2022, the cargo market has been suffering from an imbalance of supply and demand, resulting in a
freight recession. Although freight volumes have been more robust than expected during an economic recession,
overcapacity has led to lower freight spot rates, more competitive pricing, and changing dynamics in cargo
movement between dedicated freighters and the belly of passenger airlines. This recession has caused many
peers in the air freight and transportation industries to perform poorly, while having to navigate an economic
environment where growth is difficult to achieve.
(100%)
(50%)
0%
50%
100%
150%
200%
250%
300%
Dec-18 Jun-19 Dec-19 Jun-20 Dec-20 Jun-21 Dec-21 Jun-22 Dec-22 Jun-23
CJT Integrators Rail Dedicated Freight Less-Than-Truckload1 2 3 4
Source: Company Filings, 2023
Source: Company Filings, 2023
Source: Capital IQ, 2024
DHL
• September 2021: By John C. Munro International Airport, CJT’s main base in Hamilton, DHL invested $100M
CAD to build a facility to meet the needs of increased shipping volumes to Canada.
• July 2023: DHL has announced an investment of $562M into LatAm over the next five years given the strong
growth in the region, requiring rising supply chain management services.
• October 2023: DHL will be deploying $370M in capital over the next five years within SEA to boost their
warehousing capacity, workforce, and sustainability initiatives.
• November 2023: DHL has invested $410M in the expansion of their Hong Kong Hub to increase the capacity of
their only warehouse in East Asia.
Amazon
• April 2022: Adjacent to John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport, Amazon opened its most advanced
robotics facility to extend the reach and capability of their expansion plan in Canada.
• August 2023: Amazon business has begun to creep up in Canada, driven by CJT operating a new 40,000-
square-foot cargo terminal at Vancouver International Airport, which has enabled CJT to add a direct flight out of
its base in Hamilton to Vancouver with one of two Amazon-provided 767s.
• August 2023: Over the past two to three years, Vietnamese enterprises have led SEA in garnering the highest
international sales via Amazon. The value generated from e-commerce in Vietnam is expected to continue its
robust ascent.
• September 2023: Amazon has launched its biggest last-mile delivery center in Mexico City to expedite
deliveries in the densely populated area. This expansion is part of Amazon's $3B investment in Latin America,
aimed at strengthening its market presence and competing with regional and global players.
• November 2023: Amazon announced its fourth renewable energy project in Canada. These projects will help
power Amazon’s operations in Alberta, including its fulfilment centers, sortation centers, delivery and more.
• Q4 2024: Amazon had announced the development a sorting centre in Windsor. In August 2023, after
reevaluating their needs, they stated the facility would be 50% larger than officially announced 16 months ago.
Appendix 7: E-Commerce Growth in LatAm and SEA
Appendix 6: DHL and Amazon’s Expansion
14
Eight of the top ten countries ranked by retail e-commerce growth
globally are located in LatAm and SEA. The surge in e-commerce
across these regions is driven by technological and demographic
shifts. Increased internet and mobile device penetration have
provided a solid foundation for digital marketplaces, with both
regions witnessing widespread adoption of online shopping,
especially among the younger, tech-savvy populations. The rapid
urbanization in these areas has also facilitated a more consolidated
consumer base, making the logistics of e-commerce more viable.
Simultaneously, economic expansion has bolstered consumer
spending power, thus fueling demand for the convenience and
variety that online shopping platforms offer. The COVID pandemic
has been a significant catalyst, expediting the shift from brick-and-
mortar stores to online retail. Innovative payment options have
emerged, while government initiatives to support the digital
economy have encouraged entrepreneurial ventures and
investments. The e-commerce sector in these regions is poised for
sustained growth, with a notable shift in consumer purchasing
behaviors towards online platforms. In mature e-commerce markets,
70% of sales come from marketplaces, this is lower in North and
Latin America and as these markets mature marketplace penetration
will increase. As seen on the left, CJT’s customers are either leading
marketplaces or are partnered with top marketplaces.
CJT's competitors have been investing heavily in globalization. International expansion provides significant benefits
through increased volumes and exposure to high quality freight. DHL and Amazon have focused on regions such
as Canada, LatAm, and SEA. Trade routes from manufacturing hubs in SEA and Europe to LatAm prefer to pivot
through Canada due to lower exchange rates and faster customs times, which positions CJT well to capitalize on
international growth opportunities and increased investment in Canada and nearby regions.
Improving Infrastructure
MercadoLibre (#1 ranked LatAm e-
commerce marketplace) and Shopee (#1
ranked SEA e-commerce marketplace)
are both strategic partners of DHL
Source: Company Filings, 2023
Shifting Consumer Behaviours
Mobile-First Society
Source: Americas Market Intelligence, DHL, Company Filings
15
Appendix 8: Historical ROIC
Appendix 9: Fleet Assessment
Appendix 10: Cost Optimization
Aircraft Model Capacity (lbs) 2021A 2022A 2023E 2024E 2025E
B767-300 125,000 16 18 21 22 23
B767-200 100,000 3 3 3 3 3
B757-200 80,000 9 13 17 15 15
B767-200 100,000 1 1 - - -
Challenger 601 6,000 2 2 - - -
Cessna 750 2,375 - 1 - - -
Beechcraft 1900D 4,375 - 1 - - -
Total 31 39 41 40 41
Fiscal Year Total Capacity (lbs)
2019A 2,352,000
2020A 2,802,000
2021A 3,132,000
2022A 3,708,750
2023E 4,285,000
2024E 4,250,000
2025E 4,375,000
2026E 4,375,000
The main fleet initiative was CJT selling off its smaller passenger aircraft. In 2023, to adapt to lower market demand,
the company sold the entirety of its passenger fleet including a non-converted B767-200, two Challenger 601’s, a
Cessna 750, and a Beechcraft 1900D. The latter three aircrafts each had total payload capacity of less than 10,000
pounds. This decision also enabled CJT to reposition pilots and implement a new long-term incentive plan to maintain
industry-leading pilot retention. These changes led to aircraft and crew costs in aggregate being cut by $1.8M. By
streamlining their fleet, CJT is now able to focus on repositioning with larger aircraft by selling its 757s. Performing a
detailed fleet analysis allowed us to determine that total payload capacity (lbs) will significantly exceed pandemic
levels, eliminating the necessity for increased growth capex to meet growing demand.
2013A 2014A 2015A 2016A 2017A 2018A 2019A 2020A 2021A 2022A
NOPAT Margin 2.8% -2.7% 0.6% 6.5% 8.6% 10.2% 9.0% 18.6% 16.8% 13.0%
Invested Capital Turnover 1.9x 1.1x 1.2x 1.1x 1.0x 0.7x 0.6x 0.7x 0.7x 0.7x
Return on Invested Capital 5.1% -3.0% 0.7% 7.2% 8.4% 7.1% 5.0% 12.7% 11.5% 8.5%
The relationship between CJT’s NOPAT Margin (net operating profit after tax / sales) and invested capital turnover
(sales / average invested capital) provides greater clarity into the firms historically underperforming ROIC. Net PP&E
accounts for approximately 90% of CJT’s average invested capital. Invested capital has been steadily increasing due
to CJT’s significant year-over-year investments in growth capex, which has reduced their turnover. When combined
with poor operating margins, CJT has failed to drive a reasonable return on invested capital in the past. However, the
need for further growth capex spend is no longer present, and with a stable PP&E base, margin improvements will
directly lead to a higher ROIC. From the high degree of operating leverage, route optimization, and increasing
volumes, CJT will be able to drive higher margins and ROIC.
For dedicated air cargo carriers such CJT, suboptimal capacity utilization translates to diminished yields and
revenues. This occurs as the number of block hours and the associated cost per block hour remain constant, but
the revenue generated declines with lower capacity utilization. CJT leverages robust customer relationships
fortified by strategic long-term contracts and a stellar on-time track record. This approach enables CJT to engage
closely with customers, steering clear of suboptimized routes. This, in turn, leads to a reduction in block hours and
associated costs. CJT’s ability to move away from suboptimal routes is a core strength, demonstrating superior
cost management capability compared to competitors within the domestic overnight market. This can be directly
observed by calculating CJT’s direct cost per block hour (excl. fuel costs/D&A). CJT has been able to drive direct
costs per block hour lower than pre-COVID levels with ongoing efforts expected to drive further declines.
$5,296
$4,745 $5,016 $5,061 $5,125 $5,064
$5,283 $5,502
$5,179 $5,245
2019 2020 2021 2022 Q1 2022 Q2 2022 Q3 2022 Q4 2023 Q1 2023 Q2 2023 Q3
Direct Cost per Block Hour (Excl. Fuel Costs/D&A)
Source: Company Filings, 2023
Source: Company Filings/Team 4 Analysis, 2023
Source: Company Filings/Team 4 Analysis, 2023
16
Appendix 11: Valuation Support (Base Case)
Source: Team 4 Analysis
Discount Terminal Growth Rate
Rate 1.75% 2.00% 2.25% 2.50% 2.75%
7.2% 46.9% 54.3% 62.5% 71.5% 81.6%
7.7% 31.7% 37.8% 44.4% 51.8% 59.8%
8.2% 18.8% 23.9% 29.4% 35.4% 42.0%
8.7% 7.7% 12.0% 16.7% 21.7% 27.2%
9.2% (1.9%) 1.8% 5.8% 10.1% 14.7%
Discount Exit Multiple (EV/EBITDA)
Rate 8.0x 8.5x 9.0x 9.5x 10.0x
7.2% 27.0% 34.9% 42.8% 50.7% 58.6%
7.7% 24.2% 32.0% 39.7% 47.5% 55.3%
8.2% 21.5% 29.1% 36.7% 44.3% 52.0%
8.7% 18.8% 26.3% 33.7% 41.2% 48.7%
9.2% 16.2% 23.5% 30.9% 38.2% 45.5%
Valuation Takeaway
CJT discloses few details about revenue which makes a detailed revenue build challenging. Due to the nature of
disclosure, it is challenging to have conviction over an implied level of volume and average rate charged by
segment. We have chosen to forecast revenue by segment using a % growth approach in order to reflect the
fundamental drivers of each segment. Costs have been forecasted by category based on the fixed or variable
nature as well as using a % of approach.
Free Cash Flow Projections
Terminal Growth Method
Basic S.O 17.21
(+) In-the-money options 0.00
(-) Shares repurchased from proceeds 0
(+) Warrants Outstanding 4.02
Fully diluted shares outstanding 21.23
Exit Multiple Method
Terminal Growth Method
WACC 8.20%
Terminal Growth Rate 2.25%
Implied Exit Multiple 8.5X
PV of UFCF $718
Terminal Year UFCF $4,629
PV of Terminal Year $3,122
EV $3,839
Less: Debt & Leases ($773)
Less: Minority Interest $0
Add: Cash $43
Equity Value $3,109
S.O 21.2
Implied Price $146
1-Yr Target $158
Current Price $122
Implied Return 29%
Exit Multiple Method
WACC 8.20%
Exit Multiple 9.0X
Implied Growth Rate 2.55%
PV of UFCF $718
Terminal Year EBITDA $4,886
PV of Terminal Year $3,295
EV $4,013
Less: Net Debt ($773)
Less: Minority Interest $0
Add: Cash $43
Equity Value $3,283
S.O 21.2
Implied Price $155
1-Yr Target $167
Current Price $122
Implied Return 37%
Shares Outstanding Cost of Equity Methodologies
Cost of Equity (DDM)
Annual dividend per share 1.28
Current share price $122.38
Sust. Dividend growth 10%
Cost of Equity 11.05%
Cost of Equity (CAPM)
Risk-free rate 3.25%
Market risk premium 5.00%
Levered beta 1.17
Cost of Equity 9.10%
Historical Forecast CAGR
2019A 2020A 2021A 2022A 2023E 2024E 2025E 2026E 2027E 2028E ‘19-’22 ‘23-’28
Domestic Revenue $264 $300 $325 $361 $350 $378 $427 $470 $498 $513 8.1% 6.6%
ACMI Revenue $66 $132 $176 $240 $259 $298 $373 $436 $488 $513 37.9% 12.0%
Charter Revenue $33 $122 $90 $113 $99 $95 $93 $94 $95 $98 36.1% (0.0%)
Revenue (Excl. FS) $363 $554 $591 $713 $708 $771 $893 $1,000 $1,082 $1,124 18.4% 8.0%
% Growth 52.5% 6.6% 20.7% (0.7%) 8.9% 15.8% 12.0% 8.2% 3.9%
Gross Profit $119 $251 $232 $248 $161 $191 $272 $332 $377 $394
Gross Margin % 32.8% 45.2% 39.4% 34.7% 22.7% 24.8% 30.5% 33.2% 34.8% 35.1%
Adjusted EBITDA $157 $289 $291 $327 $309 $343 $419 $473 $518 $543 20.1% 9.8%
Adjusted EBITDA Margin % 43.2% 52.1% 49.3% 45.8% 43.7% 44.5% 46.9% 47.4% 47.8% 48.3%
EBIT $59.7 $169.1 $172.9 $172.9 $96 $122 $199 $254 $294 $308
Operating Margin % 16.4% 30.5% 29.3% 24.2% 13.5% 15.8% 22.3% 25.4% 27.2% 27.4%
NOPAT (Net Operating Profit After Taxes) $44 $123 $126 $126 $70 $89 $145 $186 $215 $225
(+) D&A $92 $98 $114 $140 $183 $205 $204 $203 $207 $219
(-) Capex ($218) ($147) ($278) ($611) ($262) ($181) ($184) ($156) ($222) ($172)
(-) Change in NWC $34 ($36) $3 $0 ($18) ($12) ($8) ($6) ($2)
Unlevered Free Cash Flow ($82) $108 ($73) ($342) ($10) $95 $153 $224 $193 $269
Discount Rate 8.20% 8.20% 8.20% 8.20% 8.20% 8.20%
Discount Period 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00
Present Value of Unlevered Free Cash Flow $88 $130 $177 $141 $182
17
Appendix 12: Reverse DCF
Reverse DCF Takeaway
To understand the level of growth the market may be pricing in, we conducted a reverse DCF. After adjusting
revenue growth and direct cost assumptions until our model arrived at CJT’s current price, it is evident that the
market seems to be pricing in modest growth and margin expansion. We believe this is not reflective of the
opportunities CJT has at hand and have conviction that top line strong growth will drive margin expansion given the
high level of operating leverage in the business.
$363
$554 $591 $713 $708 $771
$893 $1,000
$1,082 $1,124
43.2% 52.1% 49.3% 45.8% 43.7% 44.5% 46.9% 47.4% 47.8% 48.3%
20. 0%
40. 0%
60. 0%
80. 0%
100 .0%
120 .0%
140 .0%
$0
$20 0
$40 0
$60 0
$80 0
$1, 000
$1, 200
2019A 2020A 2021A 2022A 2023E 2024E 2025E 2026E 2027E 2028E
Revenue excl. fuel surcharge Adj. EBITDA Margin %
Base Case Graphic
Reverse DCF Graphic
$363
$554 $591 $713 $708 $773
$850 $915 $970 $1,003
43.2% 52.1% 49.3% 45.8% 43.7% 44.8% 44.5% 45.9% 46.0% 46.4%
20. 0%
40. 0%
60. 0%
80. 0%
100 .0%
120 .0%
140 .0%
$0
$20 0
$40 0
$60 0
$80 0
$1, 000
$1, 200
2019A 2020A 2021A 2022A 2023E 2024E 2025E 2026E 2027E 2028E
Revenue excl. fuel surcharge Adj. EBITDA Margin %
Appendix 13: Cost Breakdown
81% 83% 81% 83% 85%
19% 17% 19% 17% 15%
2021 2022 2023 Q1 2023 Q2 2023 Q3
CJT Fixed vs Variable Cost Trends CJT’s fixed direct costs include aircraft costs, D&A,
maintenance costs, crew costs, ground services, and
SG&A (mainly fixed salaries). Fixed costs constitute a
larger share of direct costs and are influenced by the scale
of Cargojet's aircraft fleet. Consequently, CJT experiences
a high degree of operating leverage. Given that fixed costs
make up a portion of the operating expenses for each
flight route, the costs associated with individual flight
routes do not fluctuate in direct proportion to the number
of shipments handled by Cargojet. We maintained this
cost trend through the forecast period with fixed costs
grown at a nominal rate of 5% annually. Variable costs are
directly related to the volume of flight activity, determined
by the level of customer demand and are therefore
forecasted as a % of revenue. Fuel costs are variable
costs that are completely passed through, leaving no
impact to cash flows.
Source: Team 4 Analysis
Source: Team 4 Analysis
Source: Company Filings, 2023
Target Acquirer Date
Transaction
Value (USD $M)
EV/NTM
EBITDA
Equity
Premium
Aug 4, 2022 $5,117.7 4.7x 57%
18
Appendix 15: Comparable Companies Analysis Criteria
Note: 1. ATSG, CHR. 2. DHL, UPS & FedEx. 3. SAIA, JBHT, ODFL, XPO, KSX, MTL, TFII. 4. CNR, CPKC, UNP
Appendix 16: Dedicated Freight Precedent Transactions
Appendix 17: Historical EV/NTM EBITDA Multiple
Appendix 14: Bull, Bear and Base Case Assumptions
Domestic
Revenue
ACMI
Revenue
Charter
Revenue Overall
Bull 10.5% 13.5% 3.3% 10.8%
Base 6.6% 12.0% (0.0%) 8.0%
Bear 4.9% 7.9% (2.0%) 5.3%
Revenue CAGR EBITDA Margins Implied Return
3x
5x
7x
9x
11x
13x
15x
17x
19x
Dec-18 Dec-19 Dec-20 Dec-21 Dec-22 Dec-23
Cargojet Dedicated Freight Integrators Less-Than-Truckload Rail
5Y
Average
Current
Multiple
Cargojet 11.0x 9.5x
Dedicated
Freight1 5.9x 5.1x
Integrators2 8.9x 8.8x
Less-Than-
Truckload3 10.1x 12.2x
Rail4 14.4x 15.3x
‘23E ‘24E ‘26E ‘28E
Bull 44.3% 45.8% 50.0% 52.3%
Base 44.3% 44.5% 47.4% 48.3%
Bear 44.3% 40.8% 42.1% 43.2%
Implied
Target Price
Implied
Return
Bull $244 100%
Base $163 33%
Bear $126 3%
A Demand for time-sensitive freight (e-commerce) Freight volume/capacityB
C Government fiscal stimulus Globalization of supply chainsD
Key
Performance
Drivers
E Fuel Costs Fleet / equipment capex spendingF
G Labour and workforce costs Regulatory compliance costsH
Key Cost
Drivers
Segment Performance Drivers Cost Drivers Included in Comps
Dedicated Freighters A, B, C, D E, F, G, H ATSG, Chorus Aviation
Integrators A, B, C, D E, F, G, H DHL, FedEx, UPS
Less-than Truckload A, B, C E, F, G, H TFI International
Commercial Airlines C E, F, G, H None Included
Railways B, C E, F, G, H None Included
Source: Team 4 Analysis
Source: Capital IQ, 2023
Source: Capital IQ, 2023
19
Appendix 18: ESG Scorecard
Source: Company Filings, Team 4 Analysis, Note: 1. Glassdoor
Rating Description Team 4 Assessment
0 N/A No or lack of evidence of effort to achieve criterion.
1 Laggard Evidence of some effort but little success to achieve criterion.
2 Satisfactory Evidence of effort and a level of success to achieve criterion.
3 Average Effort and success in line with industry standards for criterion.
4 Excellent Higher level of effort and success in achieving criterion.
5 Leader Innovator for industry initiatives and high level of effort and success.
Approach & Rationale
With the lack of standardization on ESG reporting and CJT’s unique position as a firm, CJT has been penalized or
rewarded by ESG rating agencies for the industry assigned. We consulted the LSEG, Bloomberg, and MSCI rating
rationale and selected peers that best represented the mix of each of the ESG factors for CJT to develop our own
scorecard. Our ratings and rationale for the factors that are most relevant to our analysis are below:
Criteria Cargojet ATSG FedEx UPS DHL
GHG Emissions
Committed to net
zero by 2050 and
invested heavily in
SAF and
modernizing their
fleet.
No specified
commitment to a
net zero target, but
clear path to
reduce emissions
with past results.
Committed to
carbon neutral
operations by 2040
and clear path to
achieve their
commitment.
Committed to
carbon neutrality
by 2050 with
intermediate goals.
Committed to net
zero by 2050 with a
clear path to
achieve their
commitment and
past results.
Target Reduction 3.0 0.0 4.0 3.0 3.0
Plan & Execution 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0
Use of clean energy 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0
Disclosure
Annual ESG
reports disclose
relevant
environmental
concerns and
activities. Also
discloses GHG
emissions.
Annual ESG
reports disclose
clear and concise
details on
environmental
activities and
impacts as a direct
result of changing
practices.
Annual ESG
reports disclose
details on past
actions and impact
as well as detailed
plans and
objectives, with
additional data in
an appendix.
Annual
sustainability
reports disclose
major plans and
objectives and
historical
achievements in
environmental
activities.
Annual ESG
reports disclose
plans and
objectives.
Additional
downloadable data
including GHG
emissions.
Timeliness 3.0 3.0 4.0 3.0 3.0
Relevance & Specificity 3.0 4.0 5.0 4.0 5.0
Environment 3.4 3.0 4.2 3.6 3.8
Criteria Cargojet ATSG FedEx UPS DHL
Workplace Health &
Safety
Required
onboarding and
refresher training
for all employees
with standard
incident response
protocols.
Ongoing training
and emergency
practice drills with
13 safety programs
to assess and
mitigate risks.
Required
onboarding training
for all employees.
Tracked key
metrics and
employee
engagement on
safety procedures.
USD$343M
investment in
training in the past
year with details on
types of training
available. Standard
incident response
protocols.
EUR€193M
investment in staff
development but
no details on
frequency of
training. Standard
incident response
protocols.
Training 3.0 3.0 3.0 4.0 3.0
Incident Response 3.0 4.0 4.0 3.0 3.0
Workforce
Required diversity
training for
employees on how
to create an
inclusive work
environment.
Workforce
satisfaction from 58
reviews.
Required diversity
training for
employees and
surveys to
measure progress
and set diversity
goals. Workforce
satisfaction from 24
reviews.
Required diversity
training.
Contributions to
create
opportunities in
and around the
company.
Workforce
satisfaction from
10.9k reviews.
Not disclosed
whether diversity
training is required
for all employees,
but workforce is
diverse. Workforce
satisfaction based
on 238 reviews.
Not disclosed
whether diversity
training is required
but workforce is
diverse and
meaningful actions
are taken.
Workforce
satisfaction based
on 4.7k reviews.
Diversity & Inclusion 3.0 4.0 5.0 3.0 4.0
Satisfaction1 4.1 4.1 3.7 3.0 3.9
Disclosure
Annual ESG
reports disclose
social activities and
programs
undertaken to
foster a healthy
work environment.
Annual ESG
reports disclose
social activities and
programs
Annual ESG
reports disclose
social activities and
programs with
additional data in
an appendix.
Annually published
reports with
detailed disclosure
on social activities;
however,
disclosure is
scattered.
Annually published
reports with
detailed disclosure
on social activities
with additional
downloadable data
for tracked metrics.
Timeliness 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0
Relevance & Specificity 3.0 3.0 4.0 3.0 4.0
Social 3.2 3.5 3.8 3.2 3.5
20Source: Company Filings, Team 4 Analysis
Criteria Cargojet ATSG FedEx UPS DHL
Board of Directors
All members are
independent and
have relevant
experience. High
gender and
moderate ethnic
diversity.
All members are
independent and
have relevant
experience.
Almost all
members are
independent and
have relevant
experience.
Almost all
members are
independent and
have relevant
experience. High
gender and ethnic
diversity.
Almost all
members are
independent and
have relevant
experience.
Independence 4.0 4.0 3.0 4.0 3.0
Experience 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0
Diversity 5.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 3.0
Management
Management have
relevant industry
knowledge and
compensation
heavily tied to
performance.
Management have
relevant industry
knowledge with
compensation
below market and
is influenced by
company
performance.
Newer
management team,
but with relevant
industry
knowledge.
Compensation tied
to company
performance vs
market.
Management have
relevant industry
knowledge with
compensation
above market but
tied to company
performance.
Management have
relevant industry
knowledge with
compensation tied
to company
performance.
Experience & Competence 4.0 4.0 3.0 4.0 4.0
Diversity 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 3.0
Compensation Structure 4.0 4.0 3.0 3.0 4.0
Shareholder Rights
Currently no
concern as one
class of shares
with 97% owned by
institutions or the
public. However,
there is concern
with the warrant
execution.
One class of
shares with 97%
owned by
institutions,
Amazon, or the
public.
One class of
shares with 92%
owned by
institutions, private
corporations, or the
state.
One class of
shares with
99.04% owned by
institutions, the
state, or the public.
One class of
shares completely
owned by
institutions, private
corporations, or the
public.
Voting Rights 3.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0
Audit Committee
Independent
members familiar
with compliance
requirements.
Independent
members familiar
with compliance
requirements.
Independent
members familiar
with compliance
requirements.
Independent
members familiar
with compliance
requirements.
Independent
members familiar
with compliance
requirements.
Independence 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0
Experience 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0
Disclosure
Relevant financial
reporting and
human capital are
disclosed, including
impact of
outstanding
derivative
securities.
Relevant financial
reporting and
human capital data
are disclosed.
Relevant financial
reporting disclosed.
Lack of concise
disclosure on
human capital.
Relevant financial
reporting and
human capital data
are disclosed.
Relevant financial
reporting and
human capital data
are disclosed.
Financial Reporting 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0
Human Capital 3.0 3.0 2.0 3.0 3.0
Governance 3.7 3.6 3.4 3.7 3.5
Overall 3.5 3.4 3.8 3.6 3.6
Appendix 19: Management’s Bios
Name & Position
Years of
Industry
Experience
Background
Jamie Porteous
Co-CEO 38
Jamie served as CJT’s Chief Strategy Officer prior to being appointed as a co-CEO in
January 2024. Jamie has been with CJT since its inception but began his career in cargo
at Air Canada.
Pauline Dhillon
Co-CEO 23
Pauline started her career at CJT in 2001 and served as CJT’s Chief Corporate Officer
prior to being appointed as a co-CEO in January 2024.
Scott Calver
CFO 18
Scott was the CFO of Trimac Transportation prior to joining CJT as its CFO in May 2022.
He has over 19 years of experience in transportation and logistics and held financial roles
in the manufacturing sector.
Overall ESG ratings are calculated with Environment and Governance weighted at 40% each and Social weighed at
20%, due to the relative importance of the categories to businesses in the industries examined. CJT does not lag in
any one area compared to peers but does not lead either. CJT’s ESG does not create any cause for concern.
21
Name & Position Since Prior Board
Experience? Background
Dr. Ajay Virmani 2005 Yes
Dr. Virmani has served as the President and CEO of CJT since inception, and
recently entrusted Jamie Porteous and Pauline Dhillon to be co-CEOs of the
company starting January 1, 2024. He has served as a Director of CJT’s Board
since its IPO in 2005 and had a 97.57% approval by shareholders in 2022. Dr.
Virmani currently also serves as a Director on the Board of TD Bank.
Arlene Dickinson
Chair of the Audit
Committee (AC)
2018 Yes
Arlene has served on CJT’s Board since 2018 and had a 95.17% approval by
shareholders in 2022. She is the Founder and Managing General Partner of
District Ventures Capital, Founder of District Ventures Accelerator, and CEO and
sole owner of Venture Communications Ltd., with extensive experience working
with Canadian brands. Arlene has also served on numerous public and private
boards, but currently hold no other public company directorships.
Mary Traversy 2023 Yes Mary was appointed as a Director in 2023. She spent 35 years at Canada Post,
retiring in 2019, and served as the Chief Operating Officer prior to her retirement.
Paul Godfrey
Chairman of the Board
Chair of the Corporate
Governance Committee
2009 Yes
Paul has served on CJT’s Board since 2009 and had an 82.17% approval by
shareholders in 2022. He currently serves as Founder and Special Advisor to the
CEO and Board of Postmedia Network, where he previously served as Executive
Chairman until 2022 and CEO until January 2019. Paul had served on the Board
of and as the CEO of several other organizations since 1964. He has served on
the Bragg Gaming Group Inc.’s Board since January 12, 2021.
John Webster
Chair of the
Compensation &
Nomination Committee
2005 Yes
John has served on CJT’s Board since its IPO in 2005 and had a 76.71% approval
by shareholders in 2022. He also has been the President and CEO of Scotia
Mortgage Corporation since 2006, and the President and CEO of Maple Trust
Company since 1989 prior to its acquisition by the Scotia Mortgage Corporation.
John has been the CEO and COO for regulated financial institutions for over 30
years, overseeing internal and external audits as a member of senior management
and as a board member. He does not hold other public company directorships.
Appendix 20: Board of Directors’ Bios
Sanjeev Maini
VP Finance 19
Sanjeev served as CJT’s Corporate Controller prior to his role as VP Finance and was the
interim CFO for CJT from June 2021 to May 2022.
Paul Rinaldo
Sr VP Fleet Management
and Support Services
35 Paul has over 33 years of experience in aviation management for major Canadian carriers,
including Wardair Canada and Air Transat. He joined CJT in April 2003.
Shane Workman
Sr VP Flight Operations 31
Shane has over 30 years in the aviation industry and over 13,600 flight hours. He was an
executive at Swoop, Sunwing, Enerjet, and joined CJT in August 2022.
George Sugar
Sr VP Regulatory
Compliance
22 George held management and supervisory positions at other airlines and was the Chief
Pilot for CJT since 2002 prior to his current position he began in January 2006.
Gord Johnston
Sr VP Strategic
Partnerships Sales
30 Gord has over 30 years of commercial aviation industry experience, including at American
Airlines Cargo and Air Canada Cargo, prior to joining CJT in 2005.
Leo Cordeiro
Sr VP Maintenance and
Engineering
35 Leo has over 35 years of experience in the aviation sectors, including 30 years with Air
Canada and Air Canada Express. He joined CJT in 2019.
Vito Cerone
Sr VP Sales and Customer
Experience
33
Vito has over 31 years of experience in the aviation industry, including over 31 years with
Air Canada. He was the VP for Cargo Sales and Commercial Strategy at Air Canada
Cargo prior to joining CJT in September 2021.
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Daily Spark, Apollo Global Management (2023) https://apolloacademy.com/the-daily-spark/
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Kulisch, E. (2022). Canada’s 3 largest airlines make big push in cargo. FreightWaves. https://www.freightwaves.com/news/big-3-canadian-airlines-bulk-up-on-cargo
Latin America E-Commerce Market Projections, 2023-2026. Americas Market Intelligence (2023, November 31). https://americasmi.com/insights/latin-america-e-commerce-market-projections-2024/
LinkedIn. (n.d.). https://www.linkedin.com/
Lin, Y. (n.). Ecommerce as a Percentage of Retail Sales by Country. https://www.oberlo.com/statistics/ecommerce-as-a-percentage-of-retail-sales-by-country
S&P Capital IQ. (n.d.). https://www.capitaliq.com/
SEC Filings. ATSG. (2024, January 3). https://www.atsginc.com/investors/reports-and-filings/sec-filings
SEC Filings. FedEx. (n.d.). https://investors.fedex.com/financial-information/sec-filings/default.aspx
SEC Filings. UPS. (n.d.). https://investors.ups.com/sec-filings
StatsCan (2023), https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=2010005603
Stephenson, Amanda. (2023). Amazon’s first Canadian wind farm project to be located in Alberta. The National Post. https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/amazon-first-canadian-wind-farm-project-alberta
Tan, C. (2024). DHL Air Freight State of the Industry – December 2023. DHL. https://lot.dhl.com/air-freight-state-of-the-industry-december-2023/?view=1,
Source: Company Filings