Barclays Issues Positive Forecast for Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) Stock Price

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) had its price target hoisted by Barclays from $98.00 to $99.00 in a report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the transportation company’s stock.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Canadian National Railway in a report on Monday, April 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on shares of Canadian National Railway from $113.88 to $117.36 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Bank of America upgraded shares of Canadian National Railway from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $117.00 to $122.00 in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Canadian National Railway from $115.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Stephens reduced their target price on shares of Canadian National Railway from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $122.04.

Canadian National Railway Stock Up 3.9%

Canadian National Railway stock opened at $112.26 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.34 billion, a PE ratio of 20.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.91. Canadian National Railway has a twelve month low of $90.74 and a twelve month high of $115.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The company has a 50 day moving average of $107.47 and a 200-day moving average of $101.32.

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.31. Canadian National Railway had a net margin of 27.22% and a return on equity of 21.95%. The business had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.85 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Canadian National Railway will post 5.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Canadian National Railway Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $0.915 per share. This represents a $3.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 9th. Canadian National Railway’s dividend payout ratio is 49.36%.

Institutional Trading of Canadian National Railway

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Canadian National Railway in the first quarter valued at about $311,000. Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in Canadian National Railway by 11.1% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 11,514 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,122,000 after acquiring an additional 1,146 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. acquired a new stake in Canadian National Railway during the second quarter worth about $202,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Canadian National Railway by 52.1% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,118 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $116,000 after buying an additional 383 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Canadian National Railway by 2.9% during the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 17,094 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,778,000 after buying an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. 80.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Canadian National Railway

Here are the key news stories impacting Canadian National Railway this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target to $178 and kept an “outperform” rating — a very bullish signal showing large upside vs. the current price, which can prompt buying from institutional and retail investors. RBC raises target
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its target to $124 and reiterated a “buy,” presenting additional analyst support and near?term upside that likely encouraged further buying. Citi raises target
• Positive Sentiment: CN reported Q1 results with EPS roughly in line or slightly ahead of expectations, revenue roughly flat to modestly up, and management highlighted strong operational/commercial performance; the company also increased the dividend, which supports income?oriented investors. Q1 results & ops
• Positive Sentiment: Board declared a quarterly dividend of C$0.915 per share, sustaining a ~3.3% yield — a direct positive for yield-seeking shareholders and a signal of cash?flow confidence. Dividend declared
• Neutral Sentiment: CN filed a shelf prospectus/US registration to issue debt securities over the next 37 months — this provides funding flexibility (could be for general corporate purposes, refinancing, or growth) but is not immediately dilutive; investors will watch purpose and timing. Shelf prospectus
• Neutral Sentiment: CN issued a short statement that it is reviewing Union Pacific/Norfolk Southern’s amended merger re?application to the Surface Transportation Board and will remain engaged — potential long?term implications for network competition exist, but immediate impact is unclear. Merger statement
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays raised its target only slightly to $99 and maintains an “equal weight” view — that target implies downside versus the current price and may limit upside from more cautious investors. Barclays note

About Canadian National Railway

Canadian National Railway Company (NYSE: CNI) is a Class I freight railway that operates an integrated rail network across Canada and the United States. Headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, CN provides long-haul freight transportation and related logistics services that connect major ports, industrial centers and inland markets throughout North America. Its transcontinental system enables cross-border movement of goods and supports supply chains that span coast-to-coast in Canada and into the central and eastern United States.

CN’s core business is the railborne transportation of a broad mix of commodities, including intermodal container traffic, forest and paper products, grain and other agricultural products, metallurgical and industrial products, petroleum and chemical products, coal and automotive shipments.