Canadian National Railway (TSE:CNR) Stock Rating Upgraded by Veritas

Veritas upgraded shares of Canadian National Railway (TSE:CNR - Free Report) NYSE: CNI from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Wednesday morning, Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on CNR. CIBC reduced their target price on shares of Canadian National Railway from C$170.00 to C$160.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. National Bankshares decreased their target price on shares of Canadian National Railway from C$181.00 to C$178.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group boosted their price target on Canadian National Railway from C$189.00 to C$190.00 in a research report on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price objective on Canadian National Railway from C$179.00 to C$173.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Raymond James cut their target price on Canadian National Railway from C$187.00 to C$180.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of C$171.07.

Canadian National Railway Trading Up 0.5 %

TSE:CNR traded up C$0.73 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching C$154.25. 730,530 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,109,047. Canadian National Railway has a 12-month low of C$144.23 and a 12-month high of C$181.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 107.62, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The company has a 50 day moving average price of C$157.28 and a 200-day moving average price of C$164.26. The firm has a market capitalization of C$97.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.29, a PEG ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 0.65.

Canadian National Railway (TSE:CNR - Get Free Report) NYSE: CNI last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported C$1.84 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of C$1.93 by C($0.09). The company had revenue of C$4.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$4.40 billion. Canadian National Railway had a return on equity of 27.41% and a net margin of 32.02%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Canadian National Railway will post 8.2610275 earnings per share for the current year.

Canadian National Railway Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a $0.845 dividend. This represents a $3.38 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. Canadian National Railway's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Canadian National Railway

In related news, Director Shauneen Elizabeth Bruder acquired 543 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was acquired at an average price of C$157.53 per share, with a total value of C$85,539.88. In other Canadian National Railway news, Director David Lund Freeman bought 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of C$152.57 per share, for a total transaction of C$152,572.80. Also, Director Shauneen Elizabeth Bruder acquired 543 shares of Canadian National Railway stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 25th. The shares were bought at an average cost of C$157.53 per share, for a total transaction of C$85,539.88. Insiders purchased a total of 2,773 shares of company stock valued at $437,437 in the last three months. 2.64% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.