Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) Short Interest Down 35.0% in March

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,990,000 shares, a decrease of 35.0% from the March 15th total of 3,060,000 shares. Approximately 0.3% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,500,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.3 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Susquehanna decreased their target price on Canadian National Railway from $115.00 to $113.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Canadian National Railway from $119.00 to $112.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Canadian National Railway from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Canadian National Railway from $122.00 to $114.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Canadian National Railway from $174.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $120.36.

Canadian National Railway Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CNI traded up $0.67 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $99.21. 1,159,601 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,280,630. The company has a market cap of $62.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.38, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $99.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $104.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.66. Canadian National Railway has a 1 year low of $91.65 and a 1 year high of $130.63.

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) last released 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%. Equities analysts predict that Canadian National Railway will post 5.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Canadian National Railway Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $0.6159 per share. This represents a $2.46 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This is a boost from Canadian National Railway’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. Canadian National Railway’s payout ratio is 47.66%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Canadian National Railway

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CNI. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. acquired a new stake in Canadian National Railway in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC purchased a new position in Canadian National Railway during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in Canadian National Railway during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Addison Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Canadian National Railway by 80.2% in the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its stake in shares of Canadian National Railway by 48.2% in the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 332 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. 80.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.