Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) Receives $124.19 Average PT from Analysts

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have given a hold recommendation, seven have given a buy recommendation and four have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $124.19.

Several research firms have weighed in on CNI. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Canadian National Railway from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Canadian National Railway from $125.00 to $123.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Canadian National Railway from $119.00 to $112.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Canadian National Railway from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Evercore ISI raised Canadian National Railway from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Canadian National Railway

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Canadian National Railway during the fourth quarter worth approximately $102,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its stake in shares of Canadian National Railway by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 370,310 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $37,590,000 after buying an additional 28,904 shares during the period. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Canadian National Railway by 51.9% during the 4th quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 719,988 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $73,040,000 after buying an additional 246,151 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Canadian National Railway by 9.5% during the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 5,390 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $547,000 after buying an additional 468 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Novem Group purchased a new position in shares of Canadian National Railway in the 4th quarter worth $811,000. 80.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Canadian National Railway Stock Performance

CNI opened at $103.98 on Monday. Canadian National Railway has a 1-year low of $98.69 and a 1-year high of $134.02. The stock has a market cap of $65.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.91. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $102.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $109.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.48.

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.39 by ($0.09). Canadian National Railway had a net margin of 26.09% and a return on equity of 22.48%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Canadian National Railway will post 5.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Canadian National Railway Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.6159 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $2.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.37%. This is an increase from Canadian National Railway’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. Canadian National Railway’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.68%.

Canadian National Railway Company Profile

Canadian National Railway Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the rail, intermodal, trucking, and marine transportation and logistics business in Canada and the United States. The company provides rail services, which include equipment, custom brokerage services, transloading and distribution, business development and real estate, and private car storage services; and intermodal services, such as temperature controlled cargo, port partnerships, and logistics parks.