Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Has $2.49 Million Stock Position in Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) by 7.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,478 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,845 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Canadian National Railway were worth $2,485,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Canadian National Railway during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Coastline Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Canadian National Railway during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of Canadian National Railway during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Addison Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Canadian National Railway by 80.2% during the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its position in shares of Canadian National Railway by 48.2% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 332 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.74% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on CNI shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Canadian National Railway from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. TD Securities upgraded shares of Canadian National Railway from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of 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. Loop Capital lowered shares of Canadian National Railway from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective 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 assigned a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $124.19.

Canadian National Railway Price Performance

CNI stock opened at $97.70 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $101.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $107.84. The company has a market capitalization of $61.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.08, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.91. Canadian National Railway has a 52-week low of $93.64 and a 52-week high of $134.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.66.

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 26.09% and a return on equity of 22.48%. As a group, equities 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 paid a dividend of $0.6159 per share. This represents a $2.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This is an increase from Canadian National Railway’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. Canadian National Railway’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.66%.

Canadian National Railway Company 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.