Canadian National Railway (TSE:CNR) Sets New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Canadian National Railway (TSE:CNR) (NYSE:CNI)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as C$167.59 and last traded at C$165.14, with a volume of 2171723 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at C$163.25.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. TD boosted their price objective on Canadian National Railway from C$164.00 to C$171.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on Canadian National Railway from C$156.00 to C$163.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Canadian National Railway from C$158.00 to C$169.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. National Bank Financial boosted their price objective on Canadian National Railway from C$147.00 to C$164.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Scotia boosted their price objective on Canadian National Railway from C$160.00 to C$162.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of C$158.00.

Canadian National Railway Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average price of C$152.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$143.65. The stock has a market capitalization of C$100.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.87, a PEG ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 104.96.

Canadian National Railway (TSE:CNR) (NYSE:CNI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported C$1.80 earnings per share for the quarter. Canadian National Railway had a return on equity of 21.93% and a net margin of 27.23%.The firm had revenue of C$4.38 billion for the quarter. Equities analysts expect that Canadian National Railway will post 8.2610275 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Justin M. Howell acquired 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were bought at an average cost of C$152.74 per share, for a total transaction of C$53,459.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 350 shares in the company, valued at approximately C$53,459. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. Also, Director Shauneen Elizabeth Bruder acquired 620 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 26th. The stock was bought at an average price of C$141.07 per share, for a total transaction of C$87,463.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 19,071 shares of the company’s stock, valued at C$2,690,345.97. The trade was a 3.36% increase in their position. Over the last three months, insiders have purchased 8,370 shares of company stock worth $1,144,954. Insiders own 2.64% of the company’s stock.

Canadian National Railway Company Profile

CN powers the economy by safely transporting more than 300 million tons of natural resources, manufactured products, and finished goods throughout North America every year for its customers. With its nearly 20,000-mile rail network and related transportation services, CN connects Canada’s Eastern and Western coasts with the U.S. Midwest and the U.S. Gulf Coast, contributing to sustainable trade and the prosperity of the communities in which it operates since 1919.