For the quarter ended March 2026, Canadian National (CNI) reported revenue of $3.19 billion, up 4.1% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $1.31, compared to $1.29 in the year-ago quarter.
The reported revenue represents a surprise of +0.77% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.17 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being $1.31, the EPS surprise was -0.1%.
While investors scrutinize revenue and earnings changes year-over-year and how they compare with Wall Street expectations to determine their next move, some key metrics always offer a more accurate picture of a company's financial health.
Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.
Here is how CN performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts: Operating Ratio: 64.6% versus the five-analyst average estimate of 63.4%. Carloads - Total: 1.34 million compared to the 1.31 million average estimate based on four analysts. Carloads - Coal: 108 thousand versus the four-analyst average estimate of 113.23 thousand. Carloads - Forest Products: 67 thousand versus the four-analyst average estimate of 67.03 thousand. Carloads - Automotive: 48 thousand compared to the 48.79 thousand average estimate based on four analysts. Carloads - Intermodal: 534 thousand versus the four-analyst average estimate of 526.65 thousand. Revenue Ton Miles - Petroleum & Chemicals: 12.68 billion compared to the 11.84 billion average estimate based on four analysts. Carloads - Petroleum & Chemicals: 170 thousand versus the four-analyst average estimate of 160.56 thousand. Revenue Ton Miles (RTM): 61.83 billion versus the four-analyst average estimate of 60.52 billion. Revenue Ton Miles - Metals & Minerals: 6.06 billion compared to the 6.21 billion average estimate based on four analysts. Revenue Ton Miles - Automotive: 767 million compared to the 768.35 million average estimate based on four analysts. Carloads - Metals & Minerals: 214 thousand compared to the 207.59 thousand average estimate based on four analysts.View all Key Company Metrics for CN here>>>
Shares of CN have returned +11.8% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +12.2% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days
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Canadian National Railway Company (CNI): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).