Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Lowers Position in Canadian National Railway Company (NYSE:CNI)

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lessened its holdings in Canadian National Railway Company (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) by 8.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,116 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 195 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Canadian National Railway were worth $206,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Shell Asset Management Co. raised its position in shares of Canadian National Railway by 0.5% in 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 in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC raised its position in Canadian National Railway by 44.2% during the first quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 346 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC raised its position in Canadian National Railway by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 7,953 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $807,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC raised its position in Canadian National Railway by 2.1% during the first quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 5,409 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $527,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crestwood Advisors Group LLC raised its position in Canadian National Railway by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,814 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $286,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.74% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on CNI shares. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Canadian National Railway from $119.00 to $114.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Raymond James Financial cut Canadian National Railway from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised Canadian National Railway from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Susquehanna raised Canadian National Railway from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $120.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Canadian National Railway from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $120.36.

Canadian National Railway Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of Canadian National Railway stock opened at $102.25 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $64.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.62. The company has a fifty day moving average of $102.52 and a 200 day moving average of $101.52. Canadian National Railway Company has a fifty-two week low of $91.65 and a fifty-two week high of $123.96.

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The transportation company reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.26 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $3.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. Canadian National Railway had a net margin of 26.19% and a return on equity of 22.29%. Canadian National Railway’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.72 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Canadian National Railway Company will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Canadian National Railway Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be issued a $0.8875 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. This represents a yield of 2.47%. This is an increase from Canadian National Railway’s previous dividend of $0.29. Canadian National Railway’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.49%.

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.