Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Outlook for CNI Earnings

Canadian National Railway Company (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) – Analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q3 2026 earnings estimates for shares of Canadian National Railway in a research note issued on Friday, August 7th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the transportation company will post earnings per share of $1.50 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $1.45. The consensus estimate for Canadian National Railway’s current full-year earnings is $5.80 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Canadian National Railway’s FY2026 earnings at $5.86 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.47 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.64 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $6.28 EPS.

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The transportation company reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.11. Canadian National Railway had a net margin of 26.92% and a return on equity of 22.22%. The firm had revenue of $3.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.26 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.87 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the company. Citigroup boosted their price target on Canadian National Railway from $124.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Canadian National Railway from $132.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce boosted their target price on Canadian National Railway from C$182.00 to C$185.00 and gave the stock an “outperformer” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Canadian National Railway from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Stephens upgraded Canadian National Railway to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Canadian National Railway presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $137.40.

Canadian National Railway Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of Canadian National Railway stock opened at $126.16 on Monday. Canadian National Railway has a 12-month low of $90.74 and a 12-month high of $131.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The stock has a market cap of $76.45 billion, a PE ratio of 22.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a 50-day moving average of $122.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $113.12.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Canadian National Railway

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Canadian National Railway by 19.4% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 635 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Canadian National Railway by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC now owns 5,132 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $507,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Tacita Capital Inc increased its holdings in shares of Canadian National Railway by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Tacita Capital Inc now owns 19,809 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,960,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Roberts Glore & Co. Inc. IL increased its holdings in shares of Canadian National Railway by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Roberts Glore & Co. Inc. IL now owns 7,233 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $715,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Finally, Patten Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Canadian National Railway by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Patten Group Inc. now owns 8,326 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $823,000 after buying an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.74% of the company’s stock.

Canadian National Railway Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.915 per share. This represents a $3.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 8th. Canadian National Railway’s dividend payout ratio is 47.34%.

More Canadian National Railway News

Here are the key news stories impacting Canadian National Railway this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised several forward earnings estimates. The firm lifted its Q2 2027 EPS forecast to $1.57 from $1.54, Q3 2027 to $1.60 from $1.55, Q1 2028 to $1.66 from $1.65, and Q2 2028 to $1.63 from $1.60. Its FY2028 forecast increased to $6.98 from $6.84, suggesting improved expectations for Canadian National Railway’s longer-term earnings growth. What is Zacks Research’s Forecast for CNI Q3 Earnings?
• Neutral Sentiment: Near-term estimates were mixed. Zacks raised its Q2 2028 forecast but reduced its Q4 2026 EPS estimate to $1.55 from $1.57. The changes leave the current-year consensus at $5.80 per share, indicating limited immediate earnings impact but a somewhat stronger outlook beyond 2026.
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose sharply in July. Shares sold short reached 4.65 million as of July 31, up 54.2% from mid-July. Short interest still represents only about 0.8% of shares outstanding, with 2.6 days to cover, so the data signals increased bearish positioning but not an extreme short-squeeze setup.

Canadian National Railway Company Profile

Canadian National Railway Company (NYSE: CNI) is a Class I freight railway that operates an integrated rail network across Canada and the United States. Headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, CN provides long-haul freight transportation and related logistics services that connect major ports, industrial centers and inland markets throughout North America. Its transcontinental system enables cross-border movement of goods and supports supply chains that span coast-to-coast in Canada and into the central and eastern United States.

CN’s core business is the railborne transportation of a broad mix of commodities, including intermodal container traffic, forest and paper products, grain and other agricultural products, metallurgical and industrial products, petroleum and chemical products, coal and automotive shipments.