Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the nineteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $125.86.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on CNI shares. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Canadian National Railway from $120.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Citigroup raised Canadian National Railway from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $126.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Benchmark restated a “hold” rating on shares of Canadian National Railway in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of Canadian National Railway from $130.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Canadian National Railway from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th.

Canadian National Railway Price Performance

Shares of CNI stock opened at $101.97 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.49. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $108.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $113.68. Canadian National Railway has a one year low of $99.90 and a one year high of $134.02. The firm has a market cap of $64.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.89.

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The transportation company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.70 by $0.02. Canadian National Railway had a net margin of 31.65% and a return on equity of 23.62%. The business had revenue of $4.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.26 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Canadian National Railway will post 5.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Canadian National Railway Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $0.6108 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.40%. Canadian National Railway’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.14%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Canadian National Railway

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in CNI. Addison Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Canadian National Railway by 159.1% in the second quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 241 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in shares of Canadian National Railway by 738.7% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 260 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Coastline Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Canadian National Railway during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Canadian National Railway in the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in shares of Canadian National Railway in the third quarter valued at approximately $56,000. 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.