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CNI vs. CP: Canadian National Railway vs. Canadian Pacific Kansas City Stock Comparison

How do Canadian National Railway (CNI) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Canadian National Railway (CNI) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) are both classified in the Rail Transportation sub-industry within the broader Ground Transportation industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Canadian National Railway (CNI) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP)
Profile ItemCNICP
NameCanadian National Railway CompanyCanadian Pacific Kansas City Limited
Country/RegionCanadaCanada
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupTransportationTransportation
GICS IndustryGround TransportationGround Transportation
GICS Sub-IndustryRail TransportationRail Transportation
Market Capitalization77.10 billion USD80.93 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateNovember 26, 1996December 30, 1983
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CNI
CP
GSPC
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Canadian National Railway (CNI) vs. Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Canadian National Railway (CNI) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Canadian National Railway (CNI) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Canadian National Railway (CNI) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP)
MetricCNICP
Total Return (1Y)30.04%18.39%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)4.47%4.56%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)6.11%5.56%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CNI
CP
GSPC
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Canadian National Railway (CNI) vs. Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Canadian National Railway (CNI) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Canadian National Railway (CNI) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP)
MetricCNICP
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)21.98%22.74%
Beta (5Y)0.961.10
Max Drawdown (5Y)-29.13%-25.88%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.51M2.85M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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CNI and CP are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Canadian National Railway (CNI) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP)
MetricCNICP
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.180.63
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.690.98

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 21.85% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) at 8.43% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for CNI.

CNI

Transportation industry group

21.85%

Max
43.37%
CNI
21.85%
Q3
19.94%
Median
10.23%
Q1
1.86%
Min
-18.53%

CP

Transportation industry group

8.43%

Max
43.37%
Q3
19.94%
Median
10.23%
CP
8.43%
Q1
1.86%
Min
-18.53%
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Canadian National Railway (CNI) vs. Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP): A comparison of their ROE against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 27.23% and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) at 27.21% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

CNI

Transportation industry group

27.23%

Max
43.82%
CNI
27.23%
Q3
18.75%
Median
5.20%
Q1
0.62%
Min
-9.62%

CP

Transportation industry group

27.21%

Max
43.82%
CP
27.21%
Q3
18.75%
Median
5.20%
Q1
0.62%
Min
-9.62%
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Canadian National Railway (CNI) vs. Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP): A comparison of their net margin against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 38.41% and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) at 37.56% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

CNI

Transportation industry group

38.41%

Max
54.53%
CNI
38.41%
Q3
24.38%
Median
7.26%
Q1
1.31%
Min
-33.27%

CP

Transportation industry group

37.56%

Max
54.53%
CP
37.56%
Q3
24.38%
Median
7.26%
Q1
1.31%
Min
-33.27%
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Canadian National Railway (CNI) vs. Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP): A comparison of their operating margin against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Canadian National Railway (CNI) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP)
MetricCNICP
ROE (TTM)21.85%8.43%
ROA (TTM)7.56%4.30%
Net Margin (TTM)27.23%27.21%
Operating Margin (TTM)38.41%37.56%
Gross Margin (TTM)56.66%53.85%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 1.51% and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) at 3.66% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Canadian National Railway (CNI) vs. Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) at 13.32% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 7.99% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for CP.

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Canadian National Railway (CNI) vs. Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Canadian National Railway (CNI) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP)
MetricCNICP
Revenue Growth (YoY)1.51%3.66%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)0.38%19.60%
EPS Growth (YoY)7.99%13.32%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)0.58%6.16%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 0.67 and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) at 0.67 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

CNI

Transportation industry group

0.67

Max
2.26
Q3
1.59
Median
1.12
Q1
0.78
CNI
0.67
Min
0.30

CP

Transportation industry group

0.67

Max
2.26
Q3
1.59
Median
1.12
Q1
0.78
CP
0.67
Min
0.30
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Canadian National Railway (CNI) vs. Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP): A comparison of their current ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 1.06 and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) at 0.51 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

CNI

Transportation industry group

1.06

Max
3.37
Q3
1.62
CNI
1.06
Median
0.84
Q1
0.36
Min
0.00

CP

Transportation industry group

0.51

Max
3.37
Q3
1.62
Median
0.84
CP
0.51
Q1
0.36
Min
0.00
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Canadian National Railway (CNI) vs. Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Canadian National Railway (CNI) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP)
MetricCNICP
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.670.67
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.060.51
Net Debt / EBITDA2.452.96

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 2.82% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) at 1.00% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, CNI the richer one.

CNI

Transportation industry group

2.82%

Max
4.23%
CNI
2.82%
Q3
1.79%
Median
0.55%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

CP

Transportation industry group

1.00%

Max
4.23%
Q3
1.79%
CP
1.00%
Median
0.55%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Canadian National Railway (CNI) vs. Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) at 20.36% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 47.13% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

CNI

Transportation industry group

47.13%

Max
106.15%
CNI
47.13%
Q3
44.94%
Median
20.02%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

CP

Transportation industry group

20.36%

Max
106.15%
Q3
44.94%
CP
20.36%
Median
20.02%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Canadian National Railway (CNI) vs. Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Canadian National Railway (CNI) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP)
MetricCNICP
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.82%1.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)47.13%20.36%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 23.71 and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) at 29.03 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

CNI

Transportation industry group

23.71

Max
94.71
Q3
46.51
CNI
23.71
Median
23.58
Q1
14.12
Min
1.16

CP

Transportation industry group

29.03

Max
94.71
Q3
46.51
CP
29.03
Median
23.58
Q1
14.12
Min
1.16
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Canadian National Railway (CNI) vs. Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 4.46 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) at 5.40 prices even higher, above its industry range.

CNI

Transportation industry group

4.46

CNI
4.46
Max
4.46
Q3
2.30
Median
1.35
Q1
0.62
Min
0.07

CP

Transportation industry group

5.40

CP
5.40
Max
4.46
Q3
2.30
Median
1.35
Q1
0.62
Min
0.07
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Canadian National Railway (CNI) vs. Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) at 2.46 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 5.06 carries an above-peer premium to book — CNI is pricier on assets.

CNI

Transportation industry group

5.06

Max
9.10
CNI
5.06
Q3
4.59
Median
2.21
Q1
1.23
Min
-2.48

CP

Transportation industry group

2.46

Max
9.10
Q3
4.59
CP
2.46
Median
2.21
Q1
1.23
Min
-2.48
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Canadian National Railway (CNI) vs. Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Transportation industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Canadian National Railway (CNI) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP)
MetricCNICP
P/E Ratio (TTM)23.7129.03
P/S Ratio (TTM)4.465.40
P/B Ratio (MRQ)5.062.46
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.37%2.35%