Canadian National Railway (TSE:CNR) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Canadian National Railway (TSE:CNR) (NYSE:CNI) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the thirteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is C$183.00.

CNR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. ATB Capital raised their price objective on shares of Canadian National Railway from C$165.00 to C$180.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. TD Securities boosted their price objective on Canadian National Railway from C$180.00 to C$185.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. National Bankshares upped their price objective on Canadian National Railway from C$172.00 to C$190.00 in a report on Thursday, April 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Canadian National Railway from C$158.00 to C$164.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Canadian National Railway from C$164.00 to C$171.00 in a research report on Monday, April 1st.

Canadian National Railway Stock Performance

Shares of CNR stock opened at C$175.47 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of C$175.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of C$164.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 93.89, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The firm has a market capitalization of C$112.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.65. Canadian National Railway has a 12-month low of C$143.13 and a 12-month high of C$181.34.

Canadian National Railway (TSE:CNR) (NYSE:CNI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 23rd. The company reported C$2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of C$1.96 by C$0.06. The business had revenue of C$4.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$4.38 billion. Canadian National Railway had a net margin of 33.43% and a return on equity of 27.11%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Canadian National Railway will post 8.0140399 EPS for the current year.

Canadian National Railway Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 7th were paid a dividend of $0.845 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 6th. This is a positive change from Canadian National Railway’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. This represents a $3.38 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.93%. Canadian National Railway’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Senior Officer Derek Michael Taylor sold 2,610 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$131.26, for a total transaction of C$342,577.38. In other Canadian National Railway news, Director Shauneen Elizabeth Bruder purchased 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 1st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of C$168.44 per share, with a total value of C$1,010,640.00. Also, Senior Officer Derek Michael Taylor sold 2,610 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$131.26, for a total value of C$342,577.38. Corporate insiders own 1.67% 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.