Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have given a hold recommendation, seven have given a buy recommendation and four have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $124.19.

CNI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Canadian National Railway from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Loop Capital downgraded Canadian National Railway from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. TD Securities raised Canadian National Railway from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Canadian National Railway from $174.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Canadian National Railway from $125.00 to $123.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th.

Canadian National Railway Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of CNI stock opened at $96.00 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $101.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $108.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.75, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.91. Canadian National Railway has a fifty-two week low of $93.64 and a fifty-two week high of $134.02.

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

Canadian National Railway Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $0.6159 dividend. This is an increase from Canadian National Railway’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. This represents a $2.46 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.57%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Canadian National Railway’s payout ratio is currently 47.85%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Canadian National Railway

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Canadian National Railway in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Coastline Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Canadian National Railway in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Canadian National Railway in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Canadian National Railway in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Addison Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Canadian National Railway by 80.2% in the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.74% of the company’s stock.

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.