CNI vs. FDXF: Canadian National Railway vs. FedEx Freight Stock Comparison

Company Profile

Canadian National Railway (CNI) and FedEx Freight (FDXF) both belong to the Ground Transportation industry, though CNI is classified under Rail Transportation while FDXF falls under Cargo Ground Transportation.

Canadian National Railway (CNI) has been public since November 26, 1996, giving it decades of market history across multiple cycles, while FedEx Freight (FDXF) listed only on May 27, 2026 and lacks comparable through-cycle data.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

FedEx Freight (FDXF) reports a negative beta of -1.72, suggesting inverse market sensitivity over the measurement window. That is uncommon for ordinary equities and can reflect commodity-linked or hedge-like exposure, but it can also come from statistical noise. Canadian National Railway (CNI) has a non-negative beta of 0.89.

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Both CNI and FDXF need 1-year volatility and 1-year return to plot risk-return positioning.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Both companies show strong equity returns, but FedEx Freight (FDXF) at 69.09% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 22.45% also sits in the top quartile.

Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 26.42% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of FedEx Freight (FDXF) at 7.45%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 41.52% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of FedEx Freight (FDXF) at 14.66%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Both Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 1.51% and FedEx Freight (FDXF) at -1.09% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Both Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 7.99% and FedEx Freight (FDXF) at -51.34% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Both Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 0.82 and FedEx Freight (FDXF) at 1.52 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: Canadian National Railway (CNI) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09 against its industry range, while FedEx Freight (FDXF) reports no figure this period.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

FedEx Freight (FDXF) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Canadian National Railway (CNI) reports a yield of 2.87%, ranking against industry peers normally.

FedEx Freight (FDXF) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Canadian National Railway (CNI) reports a payout of 45.63%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 21.61 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while FedEx Freight (FDXF) at 36.23 sits in the richer quartile — FDXF needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

Both Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 4.05 and FedEx Freight (FDXF) at 2.10 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

FedEx Freight (FDXF) reports a negative P/B ratio of -73.55, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile Canadian National Railway (CNI) reports 4.77, ranking against industry peers normally.

Valuation Metrics