Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) Short Interest Up 52.1% in February

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI - Get Free Report) TSE: CNR saw a large growth in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 3,240,000 shares, a growth of 52.1% from the February 13th total of 2,130,000 shares. Currently, 0.5% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,430,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.3 days.

Institutional Trading of Canadian National Railway

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Chancellor Financial Group WB LP acquired a new stake in shares of Canadian National Railway during the fourth quarter worth $348,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Canadian National Railway by 42.2% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 21,325 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,165,000 after buying an additional 6,324 shares during the period. Wealthedge Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Canadian National Railway in the 4th quarter worth about $2,198,000. Brucke Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Canadian National Railway in the 4th quarter valued at about $219,000. Finally, Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. increased its stake in shares of Canadian National Railway by 233.3% during the 4th quarter. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. now owns 25,000 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,537,000 after acquiring an additional 17,500 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.74% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America cut their target price on Canadian National Railway from $119.00 to $112.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Evercore ISI raised Canadian National Railway from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Canadian National Railway from $121.00 to $112.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. TD Securities upgraded shares of Canadian National Railway from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Canadian National Railway from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $124.19.

Canadian National Railway Price Performance

Canadian National Railway stock traded up $0.02 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $97.55. 853,277 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,181,887. Canadian National Railway has a 12-month low of $93.64 and a 12-month high of $134.02. The company has a market capitalization of $61.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.05, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.91. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $101.53 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $107.56. 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 - Get Free Report) TSE: CNR last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 22.48% and a net margin of 26.09%. Analysts forecast 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.6159 per share. This is an increase from Canadian National Railway's previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $2.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.53%. Canadian National Railway's dividend payout ratio is presently 47.66%.

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.