Which has the lower trailing P/E, CNI or CTAS?

CNI has the lower trailing P/E: CNI trades at 21.65 and CTAS at 40.71. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, CNI or CTAS?

Over the past five years, CTAS grew revenue faster — CNI at a 2.73% CAGR versus CTAS at 9.62%.

Does CNI or CTAS pay a bigger dividend?

CNI yields 2.14% and CTAS yields 0.89% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is CNI or CTAS more profitable?

CNI runs the higher net margin — CNI at 26.92% versus CTAS at 17.75%.

How have CNI and CTAS total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, CNI delivered 9.08% and CTAS delivered 22.94% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Canadian National Railway Company (CNI) vs Cintas Corporation (CTAS)

A side-by-side comparison of Canadian National Railway Company and Cintas Corporation across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of September 13, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

CNI

Canadian National Railway Company

$73.15B

$120.93IndustrialsDelayed quote: Sep 25, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

CTAS

Cintas Corporation

$80.00B

$199.91IndustrialsDelayed quote: Sep 25, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

Total return — CNI vs CTAS

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 10y

CNI +136.7% (+9.0%/yr)CTAS +666.5% (+22.6%/yr)CTAS compounded faster over this window

CNI CTAS

CNI vs CTAS: by the numbers

•CTAS is the larger company ($80.00B vs $73.15B market cap).
•CNI trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (21.65 vs 40.71 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•CNI converts more revenue to profit (26.92% vs 17.75% net margin).
•CTAS grew revenue faster over the past five years (9.62% vs 2.73% CAGR).
•CNI pays the higher dividend yield (2.14% vs 0.89%).

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	CNI	CTAS
P/E ratio	21.65	40.71
Forward P/E	N/A	36.33
P/S ratio	5.74	7.10
P/B ratio	4.74	15.56
EV / EBITDA	14.41	26.42
FCF yield	3.48%	2.35%

Profitability

Metric	CNI	CTAS
Gross margin	44.43%	50.67%
Operating margin	37.54%	23.14%
Net margin	26.92%	17.75%
ROE	22.25%	38.91%
ROIC	8.89%	23.53%

Dividends

Metric	CNI	CTAS
Dividend yield	2.14%	0.89%
Payout ratio	46.78%	36.66%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	CNI	CTAS
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	2.73%	9.62%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	7.04%	13.58%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	-0.98%	9.10%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	2.72%	15.89%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, CNI or CTAS?: CNI has the lower trailing P/E: CNI trades at 21.65 and CTAS at 40.71. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, CNI or CTAS?: Over the past five years, CTAS grew revenue faster — CNI at a 2.73% CAGR versus CTAS at 9.62%.
Does CNI or CTAS pay a bigger dividend?: CNI yields 2.14% and CTAS yields 0.89% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is CNI or CTAS more profitable?: CNI runs the higher net margin — CNI at 26.92% versus CTAS at 17.75%.
How have CNI and CTAS total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, CNI delivered 9.08% and CTAS delivered 22.94% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full CNI analysis Full CTAS analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Canadian National Railway P/E ratio Cintas P/E ratio Canadian National Railway dividend yield Cintas dividend yield Canadian National Railway ROE Cintas ROE Canadian National Railway operating margin Cintas operating margin Canadian National Railway revenue growth Cintas revenue growth Canadian National Railway free cash flow Cintas free cash flow

Canadian National Railway & Cintas appear in these rankings

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Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified September 13, 2026.