ClearBridge Investments Ltd Purchases 339,774 Shares of Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI)

ClearBridge Investments Ltd boosted its position in Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) by 73.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 804,212 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 339,774 shares during the period. Canadian National Railway makes up 2.1% of ClearBridge Investments Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. ClearBridge Investments Ltd’s holdings in Canadian National Railway were worth $81,636,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Canadian National Railway by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,986,678 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,334,251,000 after purchasing an additional 101,228 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Canadian National Railway by 4.4% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,562,189 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,175,935,000 after buying an additional 790,420 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Canadian National Railway by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,768,500 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,194,443,000 after buying an additional 309,210 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI grew its position in shares of Canadian National Railway by 46.5% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 6,737,322 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $789,030,000 after buying an additional 2,137,948 shares during the period. Finally, Fiera Capital Corp increased its stake in shares of Canadian National Railway by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 5,624,594 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $570,550,000 after acquiring an additional 142,070 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.74% of the company’s stock.

Canadian National Railway Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CNI opened at $97.39 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $61.20 billion, a PE ratio of 19.02, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $101.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $106.58. Canadian National Railway has a twelve month low of $93.64 and a twelve month high of $132.27.

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $1.30 earnings per share (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, equities analysts anticipate that Canadian National Railway will post 5.52 EPS for the current year.

Canadian National Railway Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.6159 dividend. This represents a $2.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.53%. This is a boost 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 presently 47.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on CNI shares. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Canadian National Railway from $174.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. TD Securities raised Canadian National Railway from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Canadian National Railway from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Barclays lowered 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. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of Canadian National Railway from $115.00 to $113.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.