Guardian Partners Inc. Invests $23.47 Million in Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI)

Guardian Partners Inc. acquired a new position in Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 229,232 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,468,000. Canadian National Railway comprises about 2.4% of Guardian Partners Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 7th largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew 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 buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC grew its position in shares of Canadian National Railway by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,814 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $286,000 after buying an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. grew its position in shares of Canadian National Railway by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. now owns 11,492 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,167,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Canadian National Railway by 80.2% in the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. grew its position in shares of Canadian National Railway by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 3,302 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $335,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.74% of the company’s stock.

Canadian National Railway Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CNI opened at $96.71 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. Canadian National Railway has a 12 month low of $93.64 and a 12 month high of $132.73. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $101.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $107.21. The stock has a market cap of $60.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.89, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.91.

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) last posted 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 net margin of 26.09% and a return on equity of 22.48%. As a group, 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.6159 dividend. This is a boost from Canadian National Railway’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. This represents a $2.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Canadian National Railway’s payout ratio is currently 47.66%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Canadian National Railway from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Canadian National Railway from $121.00 to $112.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Loop Capital cut shares of Canadian National Railway from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. TD Securities upgraded shares of Canadian National Railway from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Canadian National Railway from $174.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $124.19.

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.