Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI - Get Free Report) TSE: CNR has earned an average rating of "Hold" from the nineteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $132.85.

Several analysts recently weighed in on CNI shares. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Canadian National Railway from $131.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Canadian National Railway from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Susquehanna Bancshares upped their price target on shares of Canadian National Railway from $115.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Canadian National Railway from $121.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, TD Securities lowered shares of Canadian National Railway from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, January 8th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC bought a new position in Canadian National Railway in the 4th quarter worth approximately $339,000. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. bought a new position in Canadian National Railway in the 4th quarter worth approximately $75,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Canadian National Railway in the 4th quarter worth approximately $304,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Canadian National Railway by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,395,401 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,813,534,000 after buying an additional 387,975 shares during the period. Finally, Wahed Invest LLC lifted its stake in Canadian National Railway by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Wahed Invest LLC now owns 4,522 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $571,000 after purchasing an additional 425 shares in the last quarter. 80.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Canadian National Railway Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CNI traded up $0.06 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $131.71. 786,867 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 978,102. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $128.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $119.64. The stock has a market cap of $84.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.77, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.88. Canadian National Railway has a one year low of $103.96 and a one year high of $134.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI - Get Free Report) TSE: CNR last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.02. Canadian National Railway had a net margin of 33.38% and a return on equity of 23.56%. The company had revenue of $3.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.25 billion. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Canadian National Railway will post 5.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Canadian National Railway Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 7th were issued a $0.638 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 6th. This is an increase from Canadian National Railway's previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. This represents a $2.55 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.94%. Canadian National Railway's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.59%.

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.