National Bank Financial Forecasts TSE:CNR Q3 Earnings

Key Points

• National Bank Financial has reduced its Q3 2025 earnings per share (EPS) forecast for Canadian National Railway from $1.83 to $1.79, maintaining a "Hold" rating on the stock.
• The company is declaring a quarterly dividend of $0.8875 per share, which equates to an annualized dividend of $3.55 and offers a yield of 2.8%.
• Recent analyst activity indicates a trend of decreasing price targets among various brokerages, with TD Securities lowering their target from C$168.00 to C$165.00 while maintaining a "buy" rating.

Canadian National Railway (TSE:CNR - Free Report) NYSE: CNI - Research analysts at National Bank Financial decreased their Q3 2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of Canadian National Railway in a research note issued on Wednesday, September 17th. National Bank Financial analyst C. Doerksen now forecasts that the company will earn $1.79 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $1.83. National Bank Financial currently has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Canadian National Railway's current full-year earnings is $8.26 per share. National Bank Financial also issued estimates for Canadian National Railway's Q4 2025 earnings at $2.05 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $7.56 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $8.10 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $8.85 EPS.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on CNR. TD Securities decreased their price target on Canadian National Railway from C$168.00 to C$165.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Barclays cut their price objective on Canadian National Railway from C$145.00 to C$135.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. National Bankshares cut Canadian National Railway from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and lowered their target price for the company from C$170.00 to C$150.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Canadian National Railway from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from C$154.00 to C$163.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised Canadian National Railway from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from C$150.00 to C$162.00 in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of C$155.79.

Canadian National Railway Price Performance

Canadian National Railway stock traded down C$0.34 during midday trading on Friday, reaching C$128.66. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,063,847 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,495,065. The business has a 50-day moving average price of C$131.70 and a 200-day moving average price of C$137.77. Canadian National Railway has a 52 week low of C$126.11 and a 52 week high of C$161.06. The stock has a market cap of C$80.31 billion, a PE ratio of 17.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 107.59.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Shauneen Elizabeth Bruder purchased 7,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 24th. The shares were bought at an average cost of C$131.40 per share, for a total transaction of C$998,624.04. Also, Director Susan C. Jones bought 1,520 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 24th. The stock was acquired at an average price of C$130.96 per share, for a total transaction of C$199,065.28. In the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 9,747 shares of company stock worth $1,285,138. 2.64% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Canadian National Railway Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 29th will be issued a $0.8875 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $3.55 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Canadian National Railway's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.79%.

Canadian National Railway Company Profile

Canadian National's railway spans Canada from coast to coast and extends through Chicago to the Gulf of Mexico. In 2019, CN delivered almost 6 million carloads over its 19,600 miles of track. CN generated roughly CAD 14 billion in total revenue by hauling intermodal containers (25% of consolidated revenue), petroleum and chemicals (21%), grain and fertilizers (16%), forest products (12%), metals and mining (11%), automotive shipments (6%), and coal (4%).