Canadian National Railway Company (CNI) vs United Rentals, Inc. (URI)
A side-by-side comparison of Canadian National Railway Company and United Rentals, Inc. across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of October 4, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.
CNI
Canadian National Railway Company
$119.77IndustrialsDelayed quote: Oct 2, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT
URI
United Rentals, Inc.
$1,081.04IndustrialsDelayed quote: Oct 2, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT
Total return — CNI vs URI
growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 10yCNI +125.5% (+8.5%/yr)URI +1318.9% (+30.4%/yr)URI compounded faster over this window
Log scale — wide-divergence pair
CNI URI
CNI vs URI: by the numbers
- •CNI is the larger company ($72.45B vs $67.29B market cap).
- •CNI trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (21.44 vs 26.18 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
- •CNI converts more revenue to profit (26.92% vs 15.67% net margin).
- •URI grew revenue faster over the past five years (13.83% vs 2.73% CAGR).
- •CNI pays the higher dividend yield (2.20% vs 0.71%).
Metrics side by side
Valuation
| Metric | CNI | URI |
|---|---|---|
| P/E ratio | 21.44 | 26.18 |
| Forward P/E | N/A | 21.85 |
| PEG ratio | 3.06 | 1.01 |
| P/S ratio | 5.68 | 4.00 |
| P/B ratio | 4.70 | 7.29 |
| EV / EBITDA | 14.30 | 12.32 |
| FCF yield | 3.52% | 0.94% |
Profitability
| Metric | CNI | URI |
|---|---|---|
| Gross margin | 44.43% | 37.07% |
| Operating margin | 37.54% | 24.79% |
| Net margin | 26.92% | 15.67% |
| ROE | 22.25% | 28.60% |
| ROIC | 8.89% | 11.11% |
Dividends
| Metric | CNI | URI |
|---|---|---|
| Dividend yield | 2.20% | 0.71% |
| Payout ratio | 47.16% | 18.64% |
Growth (annualized)
| Metric | CNI | URI |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue CAGR (5Y) | 2.73% | 13.83% |
| EPS CAGR (5Y) | 7.04% | 25.88% |
| FCF CAGR (5Y) | -0.98% | -11.55% |
| Total return CAGR (5Y) | 2.45% | 25.67% |
Frequently asked
- Which has the lower trailing P/E, CNI or URI?
- CNI has the lower trailing P/E: CNI trades at 21.44 and URI at 26.18. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
- Which has grown faster, CNI or URI?
- Over the past five years, URI grew revenue faster — CNI at a 2.73% CAGR versus URI at 13.83%.
- Does CNI or URI pay a bigger dividend?
- CNI yields 2.20% and URI yields 0.71% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
- Is CNI or URI more profitable?
- CNI runs the higher net margin — CNI at 26.92% versus URI at 15.67%.
- How have CNI and URI total returns compared?
- Over the past 10 years, CNI delivered 8.31% and URI delivered 30.47% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.
Go deeper
Dig into the metrics
Canadian National Railway P/E ratioUnited Rentals P/E ratioCanadian National Railway dividend yieldUnited Rentals dividend yieldCanadian National Railway ROEUnited Rentals ROECanadian National Railway operating marginUnited Rentals operating marginCanadian National Railway revenue growthUnited Rentals revenue growthCanadian National Railway free cash flowUnited Rentals free cash flow
Canadian National Railway & United Rentals appear in these rankings
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 October 4, 2026.