Q1 EPS Estimates for CNI Boosted by National Bank Financial

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) – Equities research analysts at National Bank Financial upped their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Canadian National Railway in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, April 2nd. National Bank Financial analyst C. Doerksen now anticipates that the transportation company will earn $1.22 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $1.21. The consensus estimate for Canadian National Railway’s current full-year earnings is $5.52 per share. National Bank Financial also issued estimates for Canadian National Railway’s Q3 2025 earnings at $1.41 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $5.96 EPS.

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $1.30 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%.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on CNI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Canadian National Railway from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Evercore ISI upgraded Canadian National Railway from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. TD Securities upgraded Canadian National Railway from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on Canadian National Railway from $115.00 to $113.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Canadian National Railway from $174.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.36.

Canadian National Railway Price Performance

CNI stock opened at $96.61 on Friday. Canadian National Railway has a one year low of $93.64 and a one year high of $132.27. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $100.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $105.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.71 billion, a PE ratio of 18.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Canadian National Railway

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. bought a new position in Canadian National Railway during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Canadian National Railway in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in shares of Canadian National Railway in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Addison Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its position in Canadian National Railway by 48.2% during the fourth 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 during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.74% of the company’s stock.

Canadian National Railway Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $0.6159 per share. This is a positive change from Canadian National Railway’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $2.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.55%. Canadian National Railway’s dividend payout ratio is 47.66%.

About Canadian National Railway

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.