Stifel Nicolaus Issues Positive Forecast for Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) Stock Price

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI - Free Report) TSE: CNR had its price target increased by Stifel Nicolaus from $120.00 to $125.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a buy rating on the transportation company's stock.

CNI has been the subject of several other reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Canadian National Railway from $131.00 to $124.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of Canadian National Railway from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Canadian National Railway from $125.00 to $123.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Barclays cut their price objective on Canadian National Railway from $121.00 to $112.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $174.00 price target on shares of Canadian National Railway in a report on Friday, January 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Canadian National Railway presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $124.19.

Canadian National Railway Stock Up 3.1 %

NYSE CNI traded up $3.07 during trading on Friday, reaching $101.79. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,751,908 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,393,945. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.01 billion, a PE ratio of 19.88, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.91. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $104.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $110.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. Canadian National Railway has a 1-year low of $98.69 and a 1-year high of $134.02.

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI - Get Free Report) TSE: CNR last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.39 by ($0.09). Canadian National Railway had a return on equity of 22.48% and a net margin of 26.09%. On average, research analysts forecast that Canadian National Railway will post 5.52 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $0.6159 dividend. This represents a $2.46 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This is a boost from Canadian National Railway's previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. Canadian National Railway's payout ratio is 48.05%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Canadian National Railway

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. XTX Topco Ltd lifted its position in Canadian National Railway by 43.3% during the 3rd quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 15,552 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,822,000 after purchasing an additional 4,698 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Canadian National Railway by 29.6% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 92,300 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $10,820,000 after buying an additional 21,100 shares during the period. Unigestion Holding SA boosted its stake in Canadian National Railway by 363.6% in the third quarter. Unigestion Holding SA now owns 153,880 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $18,012,000 after acquiring an additional 120,687 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its holdings in Canadian National Railway by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 3,962,972 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $464,002,000 after acquiring an additional 202,303 shares during the period. Finally, Partners Group Holding AG grew its holdings in Canadian National Railway by 16.3% during the 3rd quarter. Partners Group Holding AG now owns 406,066 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $47,571,000 after acquiring an additional 56,849 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.74% of the company's stock.

About Canadian National Railway

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.