Wambolt & Associates LLC Reduces Stake in Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI)

Wambolt & Associates LLC cut its stake in shares of Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) by 4.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 16,380 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 746 shares during the quarter. Wambolt & Associates LLC’s holdings in Canadian National Railway were worth $1,663,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. purchased 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 shares of Canadian National Railway during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Canadian National Railway in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Addison Advisors LLC increased its position in Canadian National Railway by 80.2% during the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its position 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 in the last quarter. 80.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Canadian National Railway Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CNI opened at $98.73 on Tuesday. Canadian National Railway has a 1 year low of $93.64 and a 1 year high of $132.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.66. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $101.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $106.99. The company has a market capitalization of $62.04 billion, a PE ratio of 19.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.91.

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by ($0.09). Canadian National Railway had a net margin of 26.09% and a return on equity of 22.48%. On average, research analysts predict that Canadian National Railway will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Canadian National Railway Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.6159 per share. This represents a $2.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.50%. This is a boost from Canadian National Railway’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Canadian National Railway’s payout ratio is presently 47.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on CNI shares. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Canadian National Railway from $119.00 to $112.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Canadian National Railway from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI raised Canadian National Railway from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on Canadian National Railway from $174.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Canadian National Railway from $121.00 to $112.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.