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Canadian National Railway (CNR) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Canadian National Railway logo
C$169.31 -1.27 (-0.74%)
As of 04:00 PM Eastern

Canadian National Railway - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Sell
0
Hold
8
Buy
12

Based on 20 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 20 analysts, 8 have given a hold rating, 9 have given a buy rating, and 3 have given a strong buy rating for CNR.

Consensus Price Target

C$183.29
8.26% Upside
According to the 20 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Canadian National Railway, the average price target is C$183.29. The highest price target for CNR is C$205.00, while the lowest price target for CNR is C$120.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 8.26% from the current price of C$169.31.
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.
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CNR Analyst Ratings Over Time

TypeCurrent Forecast
9/8/25 to 9/8/26
1 Month Ago
8/9/25 to 8/9/26
3 Months Ago
6/10/25 to 6/10/26
1 Year Ago
9/8/24 to 9/8/25
Strong Buy
3 Strong Buy rating(s)
3 Strong Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy
9 Buy rating(s)
9 Buy rating(s)
9 Buy rating(s)
8 Buy rating(s)
Hold
8 Hold rating(s)
8 Hold rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
Sell
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
1 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price TargetC$183.29C$183.29C$158.00C$155.79
Forecasted Upside8.26% Upside3.84% Upside-5.11% Downside18.41% Upside
Consensus RatingModerate BuyModerate BuyModerate BuyModerate Buy

CNR 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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CNR 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 RailwayIndustrials Companies
Consensus Rating Score
2.75
2.30
Consensus RatingModerate BuyHold
News Sentiment Rating
Positive News

See Recent CNR News
Positive News
DateBrokerageAnalystActionRatingPrice TargetReport Date
Upside/Downside
Details
7/27/2026
Desjardins logo
Desjardins
4 of 5 stars
 Boost TargetBuyC$185.00 ➝ C$199.00+9.29%
7/27/2026 Boost TargetOverweightC$135.00 ➝ C$145.00-20.37%
7/27/2026 Boost TargetOutperformC$198.00 ➝ C$200.00+9.84%
7/27/2026 Boost TargetSector PerformC$173.00 ➝ C$192.00+5.44%
7/27/2026 Boost TargetOutperformC$195.00 ➝ C$205.00+12.58%
7/27/2026 Boost TargetSector PerformC$166.00 ➝ C$185.00+1.60%
7/27/2026 Boost TargetSector OutperformC$194.00 ➝ C$199.00+9.29%
7/27/2026 Boost TargetEqual WeightC$155.00 ➝ C$185.00+1.60%
7/27/2026 Boost TargetBuyC$191.00 ➝ C$205.00+12.58%
7/27/2026 Boost TargetC$175.00 ➝ C$182.00-0.05%
7/27/2026 Boost TargetC$185.00 ➝ C$198.00+8.74%
7/27/2026 Boost TargetC$180.00 ➝ C$195.00+7.09%
7/16/2026 Boost TargetC$162.00 ➝ C$194.00+8.05%
7/16/2026 Boost TargetC$163.00 ➝ C$196.00+9.17%
7/15/2026 UpgradeHold
7/14/2026 DowngradeStrong-BuyHold
7/8/2026 UpgradeHold
6/25/2026 UpgradeHoldStrong-Buy
2/2/2026 DowngradeStrong-BuyHold
2/2/2026 Lower TargetBuyC$166.00 ➝ C$164.00+25.82%
1/5/2026 UpgradeHoldStrong-Buy
11/11/2025 Boost TargetC$148.00 ➝ C$152.00+13.48%
11/3/2025 Boost TargetBuyC$119.00 ➝ C$120.00-10.78%
6/27/2025UpgradeHold
2/3/2025DowngradeHoldStrong Sell
10/23/2024UpgradeHoldStrong-Buy

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Tuesday at 06:17 PM ET.


Should I Buy Canadian National Railway Stock? CNR 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 Monday, September 7, 2026. 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:

  • Analysts have significantly raised their price targets in recent months, with the consensus target price increasing from C$158.00 in May 2026 to C$183.29 as of September 2026, reflecting a strong "Moderate Buy" consensus that suggests substantial upside potential from the current stock price of $170.58.
  • The company demonstrated strong financial performance in its most recent quarter, reporting earnings per share of C$2.08 and revenue of C$4.75 billion, supported by a robust net margin of 26.92% and a return on equity of 22.19%, indicating efficient capital deployment and profitability.
  • Canadian National Railway recently reported a record 2025-26 crop year, which is a significant positive indicator for its core agricultural freight business and suggests strong demand for its transportation services in a key sector of its network.
  • Insider confidence is high, with multiple directors making significant purchases in early 2026, including Albert Monaco buying 7,400 shares at C$135.68 and Shauneen Elizabeth Bruder buying 620 shares at C$141.07, signaling that company leadership believes the stock is undervalued relative to its long-term potential.
  • The stock has shown strong technical momentum, crossing above its 200-day moving average multiple times in 2026 and reaching a 52-week high of C$185.25, which often indicates a sustained uptrend and increasing investor interest in the company.

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 carries a high debt-to-equity ratio of 103.26, meaning it has more debt than equity, which can increase financial risk and interest expenses, potentially limiting its ability to invest in growth or weather economic downturns without significant financial strain.
  • Despite the recent price increases, the current stock price of $170.58 is still below the 50-day simple moving average of C$176.11, suggesting that short-term momentum may be cooling off and the stock could be facing resistance from recent highs.
  • The company's liquidity position is somewhat weak, with a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.57, both below 1.0, indicating that it may not have enough short-term assets to cover its short-term liabilities, which could be a concern in a tight credit environment.
  • While the consensus is "Moderate Buy," eight out of the twenty analysts covering the stock have issued a "Hold" rating, suggesting that a significant portion of the investment community believes the stock is fairly valued and may not offer the same level of upside as other opportunities in the market.
  • The stock's beta of 1.13 indicates that it is slightly more volatile than the overall market, meaning investors should expect larger price swings in both directions, which may not be suitable for those seeking stable, low-risk income investments.

CNR Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 20 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Canadian National Railway is C$183.29, with a high forecast of C$205.00 and a low forecast of C$120.00.

20 Wall Street equities research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Canadian National Railway in the last year. There are currently 8 hold ratings, 9 buy ratings and 3 strong buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street equities research analysts is that investors should "moderate buy" CNR shares.

According to analysts, Canadian National Railway's stock has a predicted upside of 8.26% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Canadian National Railway's stock had 3 upgrades and 1 downgrade by analysts.

Analysts like Canadian National Railway more than other "industrials" companies. The consensus rating for Canadian National Railway is Moderate Buy while the average consensus rating for "industrials" companies is Hold. Learn more on how CNR compares to other companies.


MarketBeat monitors more than a dozen sources for Canadian National Railway analyst ratings, with the most recent rating issued on 7/27/2026.
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