Canadian National Railway (CNI) Stock Forecast & Price Target

$101.54 -0.45 (-0.44%)

As of 01/17/2025 03:59 PM Eastern

Canadian National Railway - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2025)

MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.

Consensus Rating

Moderate Buy

Based on 18 Analyst Ratings

Sell
1

Hold
6

Buy
11

Based on 18 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Canadian National Railway in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy." Out of the 18 analysts, 1 has given a sell rating, 6 have given a hold rating, 7 have given a buy rating, and 4 have given a strong buy rating for CNI.

Consensus Price Target

$124.02
22.14% Upside

According to the 18 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Canadian National Railway, the average price target is $124.02. The highest price target for CNI is $174.00, while the lowest price target for CNI is $112.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 22.14% from the current price of $101.54.

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CNI Analyst Ratings Over Time

Type	Current Forecast 1/21/24 to 1/20/25	1 Month Ago 12/22/23 to 12/21/24	3 Months Ago 10/23/23 to 10/22/24	1 Year Ago 1/21/23 to 1/21/24
Strong Buy	4 Strong Buy rating(s)	3 Strong Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy	7 Buy rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)
Hold	6 Hold rating(s)	11 Hold rating(s)	14 Hold rating(s)	17 Hold rating(s)
Sell	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Sell rating(s)	0 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target	$124.02	$125.86	$126.02	$124.92
Forecasted Upside	22.14% Upside	24.40% Upside	12.28% Upside	-0.98% Downside
Consensus Rating	Moderate Buy	Hold	Hold	Hold

CNI Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.

CNI Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.

Canadian National Railway Stock vs. The Competition

Type	Canadian National Railway	Transportation Companies	S&P 500
Consensus Rating Score	2.78	2.61	2.52
Consensus Rating	Moderate Buy	Moderate Buy	Moderate Buy
Predicted Upside	22.14% Upside	36.13% Upside	12.44% Upside
News Sentiment Rating	Positive News See Recent CNI News	Positive News	Positive News

Recent Analyst Forecasts and Stock Ratings

Rating

Upside/Downside

Action

Time Frame

Start Date

End Date

Show

Export to Excel

Date	Brokerage	Analyst Name	Action	Rating	Price Target	Upside/Downside on Report Date
1/17/2025	Barclays 3 of 5 stars	Brandon Oglenski Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Equal Weight ➝ Equal Weight	$121.00 ➝ $112.00	+9.26%
1/16/2025	Stifel Nicolaus 4 of 5 stars	Benjamin Nolan Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Upgrade	Hold ➝ Buy	$132.00 ➝ $120.00	+19.13%
1/13/2025	TD Securities 4 of 5 stars	C. Radbourne Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Upgrade	Hold ➝ Strong-Buy
1/13/2025	Wells Fargo & Company Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	C. Wetherbee Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Overweight ➝ Overweight	$125.00 ➝ $123.00	+23.67%
1/10/2025	Royal Bank of Canada Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	W. Spracklin Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Reiterated Rating	Outperform ➝ Outperform	$174.00 ➝ $174.00	+72.81%
1/10/2025	Jefferies Financial Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Stephanie Moore Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Upgrade	Hold ➝ Buy	$120.00	+17.11%
1/8/2025	Bank of America Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Lower Target	Neutral ➝ Neutral	$119.00 ➝ $112.00	+8.59%
1/8/2025	Susquehanna Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Lower Target	Neutral ➝ Neutral	$125.00 ➝ $115.00	+11.75%
1/7/2025	JPMorgan Chase & Co. Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Upgrade	Neutral ➝ Overweight
12/19/2024	Evercore ISI Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	J. Chappell Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Upgrade	Hold ➝ Strong-Buy
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11/12/2024	Citigroup Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	A. Rosa Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Upgrade	Neutral ➝ Buy	$126.00 ➝ $130.00	+16.41%
10/24/2024	Benchmark Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Hold
10/23/2024	Veritas Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	D. Fong Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Upgrade	Hold ➝ Strong-Buy
10/23/2024	Stephens Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	D. Imbro Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Reiterated Rating	Equal Weight ➝ Equal Weight	$116.00 ➝ $116.00	+1.98%
10/9/2024	The Goldman Sachs Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Lower Target	Sell ➝ Sell	$131.00 ➝ $124.00	+9.16%
10/9/2024	Sanford C. Bernstein Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	D. Vernon Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Market Perform ➝ Market Perform	$130.67 ➝ $126.29	+11.18%
7/10/2024	Scotiabank Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	K. Gupta Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Upgrade	Hold ➝ Strong-Buy
6/27/2024	National Bank Financial Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	C. Doerksen Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Upgrade	Sector Perform ➝ Outperform
1/10/2024	CIBC Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Downgrade	Sector Outperform ➝ Neutral
1/8/2024	Susquehanna Bancshares Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Neutral	$115.00 ➝ $143.00	+14.83%
11/27/2023	Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Downgrade	Buy ➝ Hold	$125.00 ➝ $121.00	+4.93%
9/14/2023	Raymond James Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Upgrade	Market Perform ➝ Outperform
8/1/2023	Argus Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Downgrade	Buy ➝ Hold
7/26/2023	Desjardins Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	B. Poirier Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target		C$184.00 ➝ C$181.00
7/26/2023	BMO Capital Markets Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Lower Target		C$177.00 ➝ C$175.00
5/4/2023	Morgan Stanley Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Upgrade	Equal Weight ➝ Overweight
4/25/2023	Credit Suisse Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target		$126.00 ➝ $133.00	+6.91%

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Monday at 12:00 PM ET.

Should I Buy Canadian National Railway Stock? CNI Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Tuesday, January 14, 2025. Please send any questions or comments about these Canadian National Railway pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Canadian National Railway
Bull Case

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in Canadian National Railway:

Recent upgrades from analysts, including a boost from Citigroup to a "buy" rating and an increased target price to $130.00, indicate positive market sentiment and potential for stock appreciation.
The company reported strong quarterly earnings, with earnings per share of $1.72, surpassing analyst expectations, which reflects robust operational performance and profitability.
Canadian National Railway has a solid market capitalization of approximately $67.36 billion, suggesting stability and a strong position in the transportation sector.
The current stock price is $106.96, which is below the consensus price target of $125.86, indicating potential upside for investors looking for growth opportunities.
The company maintains a healthy net margin of 31.65% and a return on equity of 23.62%, showcasing effective management and profitability relative to shareholder equity.

Canadian National Railway
Bear Case

Investors should be bearish about investing in Canadian National Railway for these reasons:

Analysts have mixed ratings, with one sell rating and a majority holding ratings, suggesting uncertainty about the stock's future performance.
Recent price target reductions from firms like Wells Fargo, which lowered its target to $125.00, may indicate concerns about the company's growth prospects.
The stock has experienced volatility, with a 52-week low of $105.28, which could be a red flag for risk-averse investors.
Canadian National Railway's debt-to-equity ratio stands at 0.96, indicating a relatively high level of debt compared to equity, which could pose risks in a rising interest rate environment.
The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, suggesting potential liquidity issues, as it may not have enough short-term assets to cover its short-term liabilities.

CNI Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

: According to the research reports of 18 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Canadian National Railway is $124.02, with a high forecast of $174.00 and a low forecast of $112.00.
: 18 Wall Street equities research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Canadian National Railway in the last twelve months. There is currently 1 sell rating, 6 hold ratings, 7 buy ratings and 4 strong buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street equities research analysts is that investors should "moderate buy" CNI shares.
: According to analysts, Canadian National Railway's stock has a predicted upside of 22.14% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.
: Over the previous 90 days, Canadian National Railway's stock had 7 upgrades by analysts.
: Canadian National Railway has been rated by research analysts at Bank of America, Barclays, Benchmark, Citigroup, Evercore ISI, Jefferies Financial Group, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Royal Bank of Canada, Stephens, Stifel Nicolaus, Susquehanna, TD Securities, Veritas, and Wells Fargo & Company in the past 90 days.
: Analysts like Canadian National Railway more than other "transportation" companies. The consensus rating score for Canadian National Railway is 2.78 while the average consensus rating score for "transportation" companies is 2.61. Learn more on how CNI compares to other companies.

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This page (NYSE:CNI) was last updated on 1/20/2025 by MarketBeat.com Staff

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Canadian National Railway (CNI) Stock Forecast & Price Target