Canadian National Railway (TSE:CNR) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Canadian National Railway (TSE:CNR - Get Free Report) NYSE: CNI has earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-one brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation, nine have assigned a buy recommendation and five have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is C$159.79.

Several analysts have commented on CNR shares. CIBC lifted their target price on shares of Canadian National Railway from C$146.00 to C$155.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. ATB Capital reduced their target price on shares of Canadian National Railway from C$159.00 to C$156.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. National Bankshares reduced their target price on shares of Canadian National Railway from C$176.00 to C$170.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada set a C$163.00 price objective on shares of Canadian National Railway and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, June 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Canadian National Railway from C$170.00 to C$162.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Susan C. Jones purchased 1,461 shares of Canadian National Railway stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was bought at an average cost of C$136.62 per share, with a total value of C$199,600.80. Also, Director Shauneen Elizabeth Bruder bought 645 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of C$141.56 per share, with a total value of C$91,308.14. 2.64% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Canadian National Railway Trading Down 1.5%

CNR stock traded down C$2.15 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting C$141.09. The stock had a trading volume of 720,530 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,369,854. The firm has a market cap of C$88.40 billion, a PE ratio of 15.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 107.59, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.58. Canadian National Railway has a 12-month low of C$130.02 and a 12-month high of C$169.49. The company's 50-day moving average price is C$141.12 and its 200 day moving average price is C$144.18.

Canadian National Railway Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a $0.8875 dividend. This is a boost from Canadian National Railway's previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. This represents a $3.55 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.52%. Canadian National Railway's dividend payout ratio is 36.54%.

Canadian National Railway Company Profile

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%).