Brokerages Set Canadian National Railway (TSE:CNR) PT at C$155.79

Key Points

• Canadian National Railway has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from nineteen brokerages, with varying recommendations ranging from sell to strong buy.
• Insider transactions indicate confidence in the company, with directors purchasing 9,747 shares worth over C$1.28 million in total during the last ninety days.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.8875 per share, reflecting a yielding rate of 2.8% and a payout ratio of 47.79%.

Shares of Canadian National Railway (TSE:CNR - Get Free Report) NYSE: CNI have been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the nineteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have assigned a hold recommendation, eight have given a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is C$155.79.

CNR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Argus upgraded Canadian National Railway to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, June 27th. National Bankshares lowered shares of Canadian National Railway from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and cut their target price for the company from C$170.00 to C$150.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Canadian National Railway from C$123.00 to C$121.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. ATB Capital reduced their target price on shares of Canadian National Railway from C$155.00 to C$150.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered shares of Canadian National Railway from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd.

Canadian National Railway Price Performance

Canadian National Railway stock traded down C$1.17 during trading hours on Friday, hitting C$127.49. 884,984 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,491,448. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is C$131.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is C$137.72. The firm has a market cap of C$79.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.58, a P/E/G ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 0.93. Canadian National Railway has a 1-year low of C$126.11 and a 1-year high of C$160.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 107.59.

Canadian National Railway Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.8875 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $3.55 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Canadian National Railway's dividend payout ratio is 47.79%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Shauneen Elizabeth Bruder bought 7,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 24th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of C$131.40 per share, for a total transaction of C$998,624.04. Also, Director Susan C. Jones purchased 1,520 shares of Canadian National Railway stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 24th. The stock was bought at an average cost of C$130.96 per share, with a total value of C$199,065.28. Insiders purchased a total of 9,747 shares of company stock worth $1,285,138 over the last quarter. 2.64% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Canadian National Railway

Canadian National's railway spans Canada from coast to coast and extends through Chicago to the Gulf of Mexico. In 2019, CN delivered almost 6 million carloads over its 19,600 miles of track. CN generated roughly CAD 14 billion in total revenue by hauling intermodal containers (25% of consolidated revenue), petroleum and chemicals (21%), grain and fertilizers (16%), forest products (12%), metals and mining (11%), automotive shipments (6%), and coal (4%).