Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI - Get Free Report) TSE: CNR has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the nineteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation, seven have given a buy recommendation and four have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $124.19.

Several research firms have recently commented on CNI. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Canadian National Railway from $121.00 to $112.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. 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 report on Monday, January 13th. TD Securities raised Canadian National Railway from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Canadian National Railway from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $120.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price 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.

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Canadian National Railway Price Performance

Shares of CNI traded up $0.58 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $98.28. The stock had a trading volume of 737,875 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,185,299. The firm has a market cap of $61.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.19, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.91. 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $101.77 and a 200 day moving average of $107.84. Canadian National Railway has a 12 month low of $93.64 and a 12 month high of $134.02.

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI - Get Free Report) TSE: CNR last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.39 by ($0.09). Canadian National Railway had a net margin of 26.09% and a return on equity of 22.48%. Equities analysts predict that Canadian National Railway will post 5.52 EPS for the current 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 issued a $0.6159 dividend. This represents a $2.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.51%. This is a boost from Canadian National Railway's previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Canadian National Railway's dividend payout ratio is currently 47.66%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Canadian National Railway

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in Canadian National Railway by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 27,757,038 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,817,616,000 after purchasing an additional 1,934,622 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Canadian National Railway by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,986,678 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,334,251,000 after acquiring an additional 101,228 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Canadian National Railway by 4.4% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,562,189 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,175,935,000 after acquiring an additional 790,420 shares during the period. Capital International Investors boosted its position in Canadian National Railway by 12.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 11,822,063 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,199,680,000 after purchasing an additional 1,341,133 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Canadian National Railway by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,768,500 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,194,443,000 after purchasing an additional 309,210 shares during the period. 80.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.