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CNICanadian National Railway CompaSell5.0·$121.56+1.45%
SellModerate Confidence
Investment thesis

Canadian National Railway carries strong operating margins of 27% and above-average business quality, but the stock has extended beyond analyst consensus targets, momentum has deteriorated with falling on-balance volume, and the most recent earnings print produced a narrow miss—leaving the setup range-bound with unfavorable risk/reward and little near-term catalyst.

Thesis pillars

  • Strong Margins Support Quality FranchiseStable
  • Price Extended Past Consensus TargetStable
  • Momentum Deterioration Distribution SignalStable
  • +1 more pillar — see the Why tab for full reasoning

Full reasoning →

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Canadian National Railway Compa (CNI) Stock Analysis

Breakout setup

SellModerate Confidence

Industrials · Railroads

Sell if holding. Analyst target reached at $121.56 — A.R:R is negative (-2.0) — price has exceeded the analyst target. Reward from here is too thin for a buy — the engine flags exit. Additional concerns: Near 52-week high (0.8% away).

Canadian National Railway Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the rail, intermodal, trucking, and related transportation businesses in Canada and the United States. The company provides rail services, which include equipment, customs brokerage, transloading and... Read more

$121.56-1.6% A.UpsideScore 5.0/10#5 of 9 Railroads
QualityF-score6 / 9FCF yield3.52%
IncomeYield2.12%(5y avg 2.04%)Payout47.13%sustainable
Stop $116.76Target $119.63(resistance)A.R:R -2.0:1
Analyst target$118.98-2.1%12 analysts
$119.63our TP
$121.56price
$118.98mean
$106
$135

Sell if holding. Analyst target reached at $121.56 — A.R:R is negative (-2.0) — price has exceeded the analyst target. Reward from here is too thin for a buy — the engine flags exit. Additional concerns: Near 52-week high (0.8% away). Chart setup: Golden cross, above all MAs, RSI 60, MACD bullish. Score 5.0/10, moderate confidence.

Passes 7/9 gates (positive momentum, clean insider activity, no SEC red flags, news events none recent, earnings proximity 20d clear, semi cycle peak clear, materials cycle peak clear). Fails on favorable risk/reward ratio. Suitability: moderate.

news + 30-day 8-K events · 5-min refresh

Recent developments

updated 2026-07-06
TrendMatrix Research · upcoming catalyst calendar

Upcoming dated catalysts

Fri, Jul 24, 202620d to earnings· next earnings call

Thesis

Rewards
No bull case signals
Risks
Analyst target reached - limited upside remaining
Near 52-week high (0.8% away)
Leverage penalty (D/E 1.1): -0.5

Key Metrics

P/E (TTM)22.7
P/E (Fwd)19.6
Mkt Cap$73.7B
EV/EBITDA10.7
Profit Mgn27.2%
ROE21.8%
Rev Growth-0.5%
Beta1.00
Dividend2.12%
Rating analysts26

Quality Signals

Piotroski F6/9MoatNarrow

Options Flow

P/C0.06bullish
IV32%normal

Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

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Methodology · Editorial policy & full disclaimer

Rating Breakdown

1 floor-breaker

Revenue shrinking — -0.5% YoY. Growth thesis broken unless recovery story develops.static

Earnings Growth
2.2
Revenue Growth
2.4
Declining revenue: -0%
GatesA.R:R -2.0=NEGATIVEMomentum 5.3<5.5 (soft — BUY_NOW allowed but watch)Momentum 5.3>=4.5Insider activity: OKNo SEC red flagsNEWS EVENTS NONE RECENTEARNINGS PROXIMITY 20d clearSEMI CYCLE PEAK CLEARMATERIALS CYCLE PEAK CLEARBreakoutSuitability: Moderate
RSI
60 · Neutral
20D MA 50D MA 200D MAGOLDEN CROSSSupport $112.50Resistance $122.07

Price Targets

$117
$120
A.Upside-1.6%
A.R:R-2.0:1

Position Sizing

ConvictionNone
Suggested %0.5%
Max %1%
RegimeSteady

Risk Alerts

! Target reached (-14.8% upside)
! Negative risk/reward — downside exceeds upside

Earnings

B
B
M
M
2/4 beats
Next Earnings2026-07-24 (20d)

Verdict History

reverse chrono — latest first
Loading history...
Verdicts are recorded on every nightly pipeline run. Rows capture transitions (verdict flips, score deltas ≥0.3, entry/TP/SL changes). Rows with a ▶ can be expanded to see the change reason. Aggregate cohort performance is tracked in the recommendation ledger.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CNI stock a buy right now?

Sell if holding. Analyst target reached at $121.56 — A.R:R is negative (-2.0) — price has exceeded the analyst target. Reward from here is too thin for a buy — the engine flags exit. Additional concerns: Near 52-week high (0.8% away). Chart setup: Golden cross, above all MAs, RSI 60, MACD bullish. Prior stop was $116.76. Score 5.0/10, moderate confidence.

What is the CNI stock price target?

Take-profit target: $119.63 (-1.6% upside). Prior stop was $116.76. Stop-loss: $116.76.

What are the risks of investing in CNI?

Analyst target reached - limited upside remaining; Near 52-week high (0.8% away); Leverage penalty (D/E 1.1): -0.5.

Is CNI overvalued or undervalued?

Canadian National Railway Compa trades at a P/E of 22.7 (forward 19.6). TrendMatrix value score: 5.1/10. Verdict: Sell.

What do analysts say about CNI?

26 analysts cover CNI with a consensus score of 3.6/5. Average price target: $119.

What does Canadian National Railway Compa do?Canadian National Railway Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the rail, intermodal, trucking, and...

Canadian National Railway Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the rail, intermodal, trucking, and related transportation businesses in Canada and the United States. The company provides rail services, which include equipment, customs brokerage, transloading and warehousing, business development, dimensional loads, and private railcar storage, less-than-truckload, and mexico services; intermodal services, such as temperature controlled multimodal, mobile transport trays, port partnerships, transloading and distribution, logistics parks, trucking, and supply chain services. It also offers connecting to rail, short lines, maps and network services. The company serves automotive, coal, fertilizers, temperature controlled cargo, forest products, dimensional, grain, metal and minerals, petroleum and chemicals, consumer goods, and third party logistics applications. Canadian National Railway Company was incorporated in 1919 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.

Related stocks: CSX (CSX Corporation) · UNP (Union Pacific Corporation) · CP (Canadian Pacific Kansas City Li) · WAB (Westinghouse Air Brake Technolo) · NSC (Norfolk Southern Corporation)
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