Analysts Set Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) Price Target at $124.19

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $124.19.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on CNI shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Canadian National Railway from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Evercore ISI upgraded Canadian National Railway from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Susquehanna decreased their price target on Canadian National Railway from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Canadian National Railway from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Canadian National Railway from $121.00 to $112.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th.

Canadian National Railway Stock Performance

Shares of CNI stock opened at $97.50 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $101.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $107.56. Canadian National Railway has a one year low of $93.64 and a one year high of $134.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.27 billion, a PE ratio of 19.04, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.48.

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.39 by ($0.09). Canadian National Railway had a net margin of 26.09% and a return on equity of 22.48%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Canadian National Railway will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Canadian National Railway Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.6159 per share. This represents a $2.46 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.53%. This is a positive change from Canadian National Railway’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Canadian National Railway’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.66%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Canadian National Railway

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Canadian National Railway in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC purchased a new position in Canadian National Railway during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in Canadian National Railway during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Addison Advisors LLC raised its stake in Canadian National Railway by 80.2% during the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Coastline Trust Co purchased a new position in Canadian National Railway during the third quarter valued at $34,000. 80.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.