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Canadian National Railway (CNI) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Canadian National Railway logo
$99.77 +3.96 (+4.14%)
Closing price 04/11/2025 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$96.19 -3.58 (-3.59%)
As of 04/11/2025 06:38 PM Eastern
Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Polygon.io. Learn more.

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

Sell
2
Hold
6
Buy
11

Based on 19 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 19 analysts, 2 have 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

$121.19
21.47% Upside
According to the 19 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Canadian National Railway, the average price target is $121.19. The highest price target for CNI is $171.00, while the lowest price target for CNI is $104.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 21.47% from the current price of $99.77.
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CNI Analyst Ratings Over Time

TypeCurrent Forecast
4/13/24 to 4/13/25
1 Month Ago
3/14/24 to 3/14/25
3 Months Ago
1/14/24 to 1/13/25
1 Year Ago
4/14/23 to 4/13/24
Strong Buy
4 Strong Buy rating(s)
4 Strong Buy rating(s)
4 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy
7 Buy rating(s)
7 Buy rating(s)
6 Buy rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
Hold
6 Hold rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
17 Hold rating(s)
Sell
2 Sell rating(s)
2 Sell rating(s)
1 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target$121.19$124.19$125.77$132.31
Forecasted Upside21.47% Upside27.11% Upside25.55% Upside3.00% Upside
Consensus Rating
Moderate Buy
Moderate Buy
Moderate Buy
Hold
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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.
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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.
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Canadian National Railway Stock vs. The Competition

TypeCanadian National RailwayTransportation CompaniesS&P 500
Consensus Rating Score
2.68
2.58
2.54
Consensus RatingModerate BuyModerate BuyModerate Buy
Predicted Upside21.47% Upside67.87% Upside27.84% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Positive News

See Recent CNI News
Positive News
Positive News
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DateBrokerageAnalyst NameActionRatingPrice TargetUpside/Downside on Report DateDetails
4/9/2025Jefferies Financial Group
2 of 5 stars
Stephanie Moore
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Lower TargetBuy ➝ Buy$120.00 ➝ $110.00+18.02%
4/8/2025Citigroup
2 of 5 stars
A. Rosa
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Lower TargetBuy ➝ Buy$122.00 ➝ $114.00+22.81%
4/2/2025Barclays
3 of 5 stars
Brandon Oglenski
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Lower TargetEqual Weight ➝ Equal Weight$112.00 ➝ $104.00+5.68%
3/27/2025Susquehanna
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Bascome Majors
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Lower TargetNeutral ➝ Neutral$115.00 ➝ $113.00+13.74%
2/3/2025Loop Capital
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Rick Paterson
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DowngradeHold ➝ Sell
1/31/2025Royal Bank of Canada
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W. Spracklin
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Lower TargetOutperform ➝ Outperform$174.00 ➝ $171.00+60.65%
1/31/2025Stifel Nicolaus
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Benjamin Nolan
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Boost TargetBuy ➝ Buy$120.00 ➝ $125.00+17.67%
1/13/2025TD Securities
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C. Radbourne
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UpgradeHold ➝ Strong-Buy
1/13/2025Wells Fargo & Company
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C. Wetherbee
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Lower TargetOverweight ➝ Overweight$125.00 ➝ $123.00+23.67%
1/8/2025Bank of America
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 Lower TargetNeutral ➝ Neutral$119.00 ➝ $112.00+8.59%
1/7/2025JPMorgan Chase & Co.
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 UpgradeNeutral ➝ Overweight
12/19/2024Evercore ISI
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J. Chappell
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UpgradeHold ➝ Strong-Buy
10/24/2024Benchmark
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 Reiterated RatingHold
10/23/2024Veritas
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D. Fong
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UpgradeHold ➝ Strong-Buy
10/23/2024Stephens
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D. Imbro
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Reiterated RatingEqual Weight ➝ Equal Weight$116.00 ➝ $116.00+1.98%
10/9/2024The Goldman Sachs Group
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 Lower TargetSell ➝ Sell$131.00 ➝ $124.00+9.16%
10/9/2024Sanford C. Bernstein
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D. Vernon
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Lower TargetMarket Perform ➝ Market Perform$130.67 ➝ $126.29+11.18%
7/10/2024Scotiabank
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K. Gupta
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UpgradeHold ➝ Strong-Buy
6/27/2024National Bank Financial
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C. Doerksen
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UpgradeSector Perform ➝ Outperform
1/10/2024CIBC
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 DowngradeSector Outperform ➝ Neutral
1/8/2024Susquehanna Bancshares
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 Boost TargetNeutral$115.00 ➝ $143.00+14.83%
11/27/2023Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft
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 DowngradeBuy ➝ Hold$125.00 ➝ $121.00+4.93%
9/14/2023Raymond James
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 UpgradeMarket Perform ➝ Outperform
8/1/2023Argus
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 DowngradeBuy ➝ Hold
7/26/2023Desjardins
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B. Poirier
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Lower TargetC$184.00 ➝ C$181.00
7/26/2023BMO Capital Markets
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 Lower TargetC$177.00 ➝ C$175.00
5/4/2023Morgan Stanley
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 UpgradeEqual Weight ➝ Overweight
4/25/2023Credit Suisse Group
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 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 Sunday at 05:52 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, April 8, 2025. Please send any questions or comments about these Canadian National Railway pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Canadian National Railway
Bull Case

green Wall Street bull icon

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

  • Canadian National Railway recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.6159, reflecting a commitment to returning value to shareholders. This annualized dividend of $2.46 offers a yield of 2.62%, which can be attractive for income-focused investors.
  • The company has a strong net margin of 26.09%, indicating efficient management and profitability, which can lead to sustained growth and stability in earnings.
  • With a return on equity of 22.48%, Canadian National Railway demonstrates effective use of shareholders' equity to generate profits, suggesting a potentially rewarding investment for shareholders.
  • Currently trading at $92.58, the stock is positioned below its 12-month high of $132.27, which may present a buying opportunity for investors looking for value in a well-established company.
  • Analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Canadian National Railway, with a target price of $123.36, indicating potential upside for investors based on market expectations.

Canadian National Railway
Bear Case

red Wall Street bear icon

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

  • The company reported earnings per share of $1.30, missing the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.09, which may raise concerns about its ability to meet market expectations in the future.
  • Recent analyst downgrades, including a price target reduction from Bank of America, suggest that some market experts are cautious about the stock's near-term performance.
  • With a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, Canadian National Railway has a relatively high level of debt compared to its equity, which could pose risks in a rising interest rate environment.
  • Despite a strong market position, the stock has experienced volatility, with a significant drop from its 12-month high, which may deter risk-averse investors.
  • Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.74% of the company's stock, which could lead to increased volatility if these large stakeholders decide to sell their positions.

CNI Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 19 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Canadian National Railway is $121.19, with a high forecast of $171.00 and a low forecast of $104.00.

19 Wall Street analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Canadian National Railway in the last twelve months. There are currently 2 sell ratings, 6 hold ratings, 7 buy ratings and 4 strong buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street analysts is that investors should "moderate buy" CNI shares.

According to analysts, Canadian National Railway's stock has a predicted upside of 21.47% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Canadian National Railway's stock had 2 upgrades and 1 downgrade by analysts.

Canadian National Railway has been rated by research analysts at Barclays, Citigroup, Jefferies Financial Group, Loop Capital, Royal Bank of Canada, Stifel Nicolaus, Susquehanna, TD Securities, 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 2.68 while the average consensus rating score for "transportation" companies is 2.58. Learn more on how CNI compares to other companies.


This page (NYSE:CNI) was last updated on 4/13/2025 by MarketBeat.com Staff
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