AKO Capital LLP Increases Position in Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI)

AKO Capital LLP increased its holdings in shares of Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) by 10.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,992 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,081 shares during the quarter. Canadian National Railway makes up about 0.0% of AKO Capital LLP’s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest position. AKO Capital LLP’s holdings in Canadian National Railway were worth $1,116,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Raymond James Trust N.A. bought a new stake in Canadian National Railway in the third quarter worth about $261,000. Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in Canadian National Railway by 3.4% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 114,124 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $13,379,000 after purchasing an additional 3,774 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Canadian National Railway by 71.4% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,135 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $367,000 after purchasing an additional 1,306 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its position in Canadian National Railway by 13.9% in the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 1,978 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $232,000 after buying an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of Canadian National Railway by 32.3% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 116,781 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $13,681,000 after buying an additional 28,517 shares during the period. 80.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Canadian National Railway Stock Performance

Shares of CNI stock opened at $99.77 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $101.15 and a 200 day moving average of $106.78. Canadian National Railway has a 52 week low of $93.64 and a 52 week high of $132.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.49, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.91.

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

Canadian National Railway Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This is a positive change from Canadian National Railway’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. Canadian National Railway’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.66%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on CNI. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Canadian National Railway from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Canadian National Railway from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Evercore ISI raised Canadian National Railway from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Canadian National Railway from $119.00 to $112.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Canadian National Railway from $125.00 to $123.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $124.02.

Canadian National Railway 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.