Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) Short Interest Update

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 3,240,000 shares, a growth of 52.1% from the February 13th total of 2,130,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,430,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.3 days. Currently, 0.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Canadian National Railway

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Shell Asset Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of Canadian National Railway by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 21,387 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,171,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Canadian National Railway by 48.2% in the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 332 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Canadian National Railway by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 7,953 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $807,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the period. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Canadian National Railway by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,814 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the period. Finally, Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Canadian National Railway by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. now owns 11,492 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,167,000 after buying an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. 80.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Canadian National Railway Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE:CNI traded up $1.78 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $97.70. 700,752 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,186,793. Canadian National Railway has a 1 year low of $93.64 and a 1 year high of $134.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $101.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $107.84. The firm has a market cap of $61.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.91.

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 net margin of 26.09% and a return on equity of 22.48%. Equities research analysts forecast that Canadian National Railway will post 5.52 EPS for the current year.

Canadian National Railway Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.6159 per share. This represents a $2.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.52%. This is an increase from Canadian National Railway’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Canadian National Railway’s payout ratio is 47.66%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Canadian National Railway from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Canadian National Railway from $125.00 to $123.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Canadian National Railway from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. TD Securities upgraded Canadian National Railway from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded Canadian National Railway from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a 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 data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $124.19.

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.