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

CNI has the lower trailing P/E: CNI trades at 21.65 and NSC at 26.71. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, CNI or NSC?

Over the past five years, NSC grew revenue faster — CNI at a 2.73% CAGR versus NSC at 3.58%.

Does CNI or NSC pay a bigger dividend?

CNI yields 2.14% and NSC yields 1.69% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is CNI or NSC more profitable?

CNI runs the higher net margin — CNI at 26.92% versus NSC at 21.02%.

How have CNI and NSC total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, CNI delivered 9.08% and NSC delivered 15.72% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Canadian National Railway Company (CNI) vs Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC)

A side-by-side comparison of Canadian National Railway Company and Norfolk Southern 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

NSC

Norfolk Southern Corporation

$70.30B

$313.00IndustrialsDelayed quote: Sep 25, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

Total return — CNI vs NSC

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 10y

CNI +136.7% (+9.0%/yr)NSC +328.3% (+15.7%/yr)NSC compounded faster over this window

CNI NSC

CNI vs NSC: by the numbers

•CNI is the larger company ($73.15B vs $70.30B market cap).
•CNI trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (21.65 vs 26.71 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•CNI converts more revenue to profit (26.92% vs 21.02% net margin).
•NSC grew revenue faster over the past five years (3.58% vs 2.73% CAGR).
•CNI pays the higher dividend yield (2.14% vs 1.69%).

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	CNI	NSC
P/E ratio	21.65	26.71
Forward P/E	N/A	24.11
P/S ratio	5.74	5.61
P/B ratio	4.74	4.33
EV / EBITDA	14.41	15.99
FCF yield	3.48%	1.26%

Profitability

Metric	CNI	NSC
Gross margin	44.43%	42.43%
Operating margin	37.54%	31.63%
Net margin	26.92%	21.02%
ROE	22.25%	16.22%
ROIC	8.89%	7.33%

Dividends

Metric	CNI	NSC
Dividend yield	2.14%	1.69%
Payout ratio	46.78%	46.08%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	CNI	NSC
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	2.73%	3.58%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	7.04%	10.10%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	-0.98%	8.17%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	2.72%	7.53%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, CNI or NSC?: CNI has the lower trailing P/E: CNI trades at 21.65 and NSC at 26.71. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, CNI or NSC?: Over the past five years, NSC grew revenue faster — CNI at a 2.73% CAGR versus NSC at 3.58%.
Does CNI or NSC pay a bigger dividend?: CNI yields 2.14% and NSC yields 1.69% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is CNI or NSC more profitable?: CNI runs the higher net margin — CNI at 26.92% versus NSC at 21.02%.
How have CNI and NSC total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, CNI delivered 9.08% and NSC delivered 15.72% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full CNI analysis Full NSC analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

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

Canadian National Railway & Norfolk Southern 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.