CN (CNI) Q4 Earnings: How Key Metrics Compare to Wall Street Estimates

For the quarter ended December 2025, Canadian National (CNI) reported revenue of $3.2 billion, up 2.8% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $1.49, compared to $1.30 in the year-ago quarter.

The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.19 billion, representing a surprise of +0.49%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +4.56%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $1.43.

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: 61.2% versus the five-analyst average estimate of 61%.
• Carloads - Total: 1.36 million versus 1.36 million estimated by four analysts on average.
• Carloads - Coal: 117 thousand versus the four-analyst average estimate of 117.56 thousand.
• Carloads - Forest Products: 66 thousand versus the four-analyst average estimate of 68.14 thousand.
• Carloads - Automotive: 49 thousand compared to the 49.42 thousand average estimate based on four analysts.
• Carloads - Intermodal: 539 thousand versus the four-analyst average estimate of 538.16 thousand.
• Revenue Ton Miles - Petroleum & Chemicals: 12.39 billion compared to the 12.28 billion average estimate based on four analysts.
• Carloads - Petroleum & Chemicals: 167 thousand compared to the 166.54 thousand average estimate based on four analysts.
• Revenue Ton Miles (RTM): 61.71 billion compared to the 61.07 billion average estimate based on four analysts.
• Revenue Ton Miles - Metals & Minerals: 6.38 billion versus the four-analyst average estimate of 6.38 billion.
• Revenue Ton Miles - Automotive: 760 million versus the four-analyst average estimate of 757.86 million.
• Carloads - Metals & Minerals: 223 thousand compared to the 227.71 thousand average estimate based on four analysts.

View all Key Company Metrics for CN here>>>

Shares of CN have returned +2.2% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +0.9% 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.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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