Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) Stake Lessened by Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd.

Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. lessened its position in shares of Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) by 9.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 4,116,484 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 420,309 shares during the quarter. Canadian National Railway comprises 2.3% of Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd.’s holdings in Canadian National Railway were worth $417,801,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Citigroup Inc. increased its position in shares of Canadian National Railway by 3.4% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased 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 buying an additional 1,306 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised 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 acquiring an additional 241 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Canadian National Railway by 32.3% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 116,781 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $13,681,000 after acquiring an additional 28,517 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Canadian National Railway during the 3rd quarter worth $240,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.74% of the company’s stock.

Canadian National Railway Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CNI opened at $97.39 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. Canadian National Railway has a 12 month low of $93.64 and a 12 month high of $132.27. The company has a market capitalization of $61.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.02, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.91. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $101.07 and its 200 day moving average is $106.64.

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

Canadian National Railway Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.6159 dividend. 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. This represents a $2.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.53%. Canadian National Railway’s dividend payout ratio is 47.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. TD Securities raised Canadian National Railway from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on Canadian National Railway from $174.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna reduced their target price on shares of Canadian National Railway from $115.00 to $113.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Canadian National Railway from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Canadian National Railway from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.