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Financial distress

Canadian National Railway

TOR:CNR · CA1363751027
Road & RailX-Large

360

79
EV / EBIT59
Price / Owner Earnings31
Owner Earnings Yield70
Dividend Yield87
Price/Sales18
EV / Gross Profit30
Price/Book34
Return on Capital90
Cash Return on Capital80
Return on Equity89
EBIT Margin97
Gross Profitability68
Cash Conversion43
Accruals56
Owner Earnings Margin90
Sales growth23
Profit Growth87
Long-Term EPS Growth65
Owner Earnings Growth45
Reinvestment19
Price momentum40
Debt load44
Refinancing39
Debt Payback62
Liquidity79
Analyst ratings28
Opinion Changes20
Price Target Upside33
Market mood70
Value Creation12/20creating some value
  • Creates more value than its capital costs
  • Owner earnings growing
  • Owner earnings per share growing
  • Reinvests at strong returns
  • Solid earnings base

What this means

Canadian National Railway clears its cost of capital, but the record is mixed across the five tests. Real value creation, just not yet consistent.

Profile

CountryCanada
IndustryRoad & Rail
SizeX-Large
TypePublic Company
ExchangeTSX
Founded1919
Employees7,695
Websitecn.ca/en
ISINCA1363751027
Last UpdateApr 2, 2026
Themes
Freight ServiceForestryPublic TransportationRailroadTransportation

Description

Canadian National Railway Company (‘CN’) engages in the rail and related transportation business and powers the economy by safely transporting more than 300 million tons of natural resources, manufactured products, and finished goods throughout North…

Analysis

Quality compounder

Canadian National Railway Company is a quality compounder: a well-run business trading at a price that reflects what it is worth.

The price is expensive. You pay 32.3× its owner earnings: the cash an owner could take out each year, which is in the historically expensive zone. At today's price, the market is assuming roughly 13% yearly growth; analysts expect 9%. The price, in other words, assumes less than the experts do.

The trajectory is moderate and the balance sheet is sturdy. The company scores 12/20 on our value-creation score: creating some value.

Nothing is flagged here: no red or amber gates, no divergence between profits and cash. That is itself information: the numbers are straightforward. As always: this describes the company's numbers; it is not a recommendation.

360° rank · history

1007550250
22
2023202420252026

All-time high

73

Jan 2024

All-time low

22

Jun 2026

Average rank

41

across all years

Detailed & Historical Ranks

Deep dive into 15 detailed ranks and 3 years of history.

Current202520242023
Price/Sales
18
7
9
6
Price/Earnings
51
48
34
28
Price/Book
34
28
30
27
Dividend Yield
87
88
80
81
Value (overall)
52
40
32
29

Cells are coloured by rank band (red weak → green strong). Sentiment & 360° history begins 2023.

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Make Sense of the Ranks

Every rank runs 1–100 against true peers. Higher is always better.

360° View
1 · Watch OutGood· 100
Value
1 · ExpensiveGood Value· 100
Quality
1 · Weak FundamentalsHigh Quality· 100
Growth
1 · Tough TimesHigh Growth· 100
Safety
1 · High LeverageWell-Financed· 100
Sentiment
1 · SkepticismPositive· 100
Learn More →