CNI vs. ZTO: Canadian National Railway vs. ZTO Express (Cayman) Stock Comparison

Company Profile

Canadian National Railway (CNI) and ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) both fall under the Transportation industry group, but CNI is classified in Ground Transportation while ZTO is classified in Air Freight & Logistics.

Canadian National Railway (CNI) trades as ordinary local shares, while ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) reports a negative beta of -0.18, 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

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 22.45% sits in the top ROE quartile, while ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 16.28% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for CNI.

Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 26.42% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 19.04%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 41.52% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 22.19%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 10.88% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 1.51% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for ZTO.

Both Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 7.99% and ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 4.58% 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

Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 0.82 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 1.67 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets relative to peers.

Both Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 1.09 and ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 0.35 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 2.87% earns its spot in the top quartile of its industry’s yields; ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 12.89% is past the top of its own peer range — territory where a dividend-safety check matters more than the headline number.

ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 38.36% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 45.63% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

Both Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 21.61 and ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 11.37 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 0.29 looks cheap on sales in the lower P/S ratio quartile, while Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 4.05 looks rich in the upper quartile — a clear gap in price per dollar of revenue.

ZTO Express (Cayman) (ZTO) at 1.66 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Canadian National Railway (CNI) at 4.77 carries an above-peer premium to book — CNI is pricier on assets.

Valuation Metrics