Aviso Financial Inc. Grows Holdings in Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI)

Aviso Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) by 7.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 157,121 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 10,970 shares during the quarter. Canadian National Railway makes up about 0.8% of Aviso Financial Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Aviso Financial Inc.’s holdings in Canadian National Railway were worth $15,951,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Forge First Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Canadian National Railway in the 4th quarter worth about $17,927,000. YCG LLC grew its position in Canadian National Railway by 15.6% during the 4th quarter. YCG LLC now owns 340,959 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,611,000 after purchasing an additional 46,133 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Canadian National Railway by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,397 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $649,000 after purchasing an additional 397 shares during the last quarter. Natural Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Canadian National Railway during the 4th quarter valued at about $470,000. Finally, AGF Management Ltd. grew its position in Canadian National Railway by 26.7% during the 4th quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 921,396 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $93,531,000 after purchasing an additional 194,343 shares during the last quarter. 80.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on CNI. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Canadian National Railway from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of 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. Susquehanna cut 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 research report on Wednesday, January 8th. TD Securities raised shares of Canadian National Railway from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Canadian National Railway from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $124.19.

Canadian National Railway Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CNI opened at $96.00 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $101.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $108.12. Canadian National Railway has a twelve month low of $93.64 and a twelve month high of $134.02. 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 has a market capitalization of $60.31 billion, a PE ratio of 18.75, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 (EPS) 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Canadian National Railway will post 5.52 EPS for the current year.

Canadian National Railway Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.6159 dividend. This represents a $2.46 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.57%. This is a positive change from Canadian National Railway’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Canadian National Railway’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.85%.

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.