CNI
Canadian National Railway Company
CNI has lower modeled downside risk, despite its lower overall score.
VRT
Vertiv Holdings Co
VRT has the edge over CNI overall, supported by stronger valuation and stronger modeled upside.
CNI Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Stable |
CNI's profitability and cash flow are currently strong, and its revenue and balance sheet are stable.
VRT Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong |
VRT's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently strong.
CNI PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 19x | $102 | -20% |
| Fair | 21x | $115 | -10% |
| Current | 23x | $128 | — |
| Expensive | 24x | $134 | +4.7% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
CNI's PE is 23x, but its earnings don't support one, so it isn't a reliable read right now.
VRT PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 23x | $210 | — |
| Current | 39x | $210 | — |
| Cheap | 58x | $308 | +47% |
| Fair | 72x | $383 | +83% |
| Expensive | 88x | $472 | +125% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
VRT has the edge over CNI in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
CNI Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| -- | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Moderate | |
| High |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for CNI, with profitability improving.
VRT Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Moderate | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect strong earnings and revenue growth for VRT, with profitability improving.
CNI Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $5.48 | +7.5% |
| Q1 2026 | $5.34 | +6.4% |
| Q4 2025 | $5.32 | +7.9% |
| Q3 2025 | $5.18 | -13% |
| Q2 2025 | $5.10 | -14% |
| Q1 2025 | $5.02 | -16% |
| Q4 2024 | $4.93 | -18% |
| Q3 2024 | $5.96 | +15% |
CNI earned $5.48 per share over the past year, up 7.5% from the year before.
VRT Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $9.14 | +71% |
| Q3 2026 | $5.35 | +102% |
| Q2 2026 | $4.42 | +111% |
| Q1 2026 | $3.98 | +131% |
| Q4 2025 | $3.41 | +166% |
| Q3 2025 | $2.65 | +75% |
| Q2 2025 | $2.09 | +62% |
| Q1 2025 | $1.72 | +64% |
| Q4 2024 | $1.28 | +7.6% |
VRT has the edge over CNI on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
CNI Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $3.3B | +11% |
| Q1 2026 | $3.1B | -0.3% |
| Q4 2025 | $3.1B | +2.3% |
| Q3 2025 | $2.9B | +1.5% |
| Q2 2025 | $3B | -1.3% |
| Q1 2025 | $3.1B | +3.6% |
| Q4 2024 | $3.1B | -2.5% |
| Q3 2024 | $2.9B | +3.1% |
CNI's revenue grew through 2022 and has held roughly level since: $3.3B last quarter, up 11% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 37% | -0.9 points |
| Q1 2026 | 35% | -1.2 points |
| Q4 2025 | 39% | +1.5 points |
| Q3 2025 | 39% | +1.6 points |
| Q2 2025 | 38% | +2.4 points |
| Q1 2025 | 37% | +0.2 points |
| Q4 2024 | 37% | -3.3 points |
| Q3 2024 | 37% | -1.2 points |
CNI has the edge over VRT on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
VRT Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $4.3B | +61% |
| Q2 2026 | $3.3B | +24% |
| Q1 2026 | $2.6B | +30% |
| Q4 2025 | $2.9B | +23% |
| Q3 2025 | $2.7B | +29% |
| Q2 2025 | $2.6B | +35% |
| Q1 2025 | $2B | +24% |
| Q4 2024 | $2.3B | +26% |
VRT has the edge over CNI on sales, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 23% | +3.5 points |
| Q2 2026 | 19% | +2.7 points |
| Q1 2026 | 17% | +2.3 points |
| Q4 2025 | 20% | +0.7 points |
| Q3 2025 | 19% | +1.4 points |
| Q2 2025 | 17% | -0.4 points |
| Q1 2025 | 14% | +1.9 points |
| Q4 2024 | 19% | +4.2 points |
VRT's operating margin was 23% last quarter, up 3.5 points from the same quarter a year ago, near the top of its range since 2020.
CNI Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $644.3M | -2.5% |
| Q1 2026 | $582.2M | +28% |
| Q4 2025 | $701.1M | -5.1% |
| Q3 2025 | $568.1M | +35% |
| Q2 2025 | $660.9M | -2.1% |
| Q1 2025 | $453.5M | +19% |
| Q4 2024 | $738.9M | -29% |
| Q3 2024 | $420.4M | +0.5% |
CNI's free cash flow has been positive every quarter for seven years: $2.5B over the past year, up 9.8% from the year before.
VRT Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $654.9M | +41% |
| Q2 2026 | $926.5M | +233% |
| Q1 2026 | $654.2M | +145% |
| Q4 2025 | $885.6M | +143% |
| Q3 2025 | $463.5M | +36% |
| Q2 2025 | $277.9M | -19% |
| Q1 2025 | $266.8M | +162% |
| Q4 2024 | $364.5M | +18% |
VRT has the edge over CNI on cash flow, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
CNI Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.7% | -4.4M shares |
| 1 year | -3.3% | -20.5M shares |
| 3 years | -8.4% | -55.6M shares |
| 5 years | -15% | -103M shares |
| Available history | -16% | -113M shares |
CNI has the edge over VRT on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $327.1M |
| Q1 2026 | $631.5M |
| Q4 2025 | $429.9M |
| Q3 2025 | $730.5M |
| Q2 2025 | $213M |
| Q1 2025 | $113.9M |
| Q4 2024 | $111.1M |
| Q3 2024 | $313.6M |
CNI spent $2.1B buying back its own shares over the past year, up 182% from the year before.
VRT Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | 0% | -64.9K shares |
| 1 year | +0.4% | +1.8M shares |
| 3 years | +1.1% | +4.4M shares |
| 5 years | +10% | +36M shares |
| Available history | +63% | +152M shares |
VRT has 393M diluted shares, about the same as a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q4 2025 | — |
| Q3 2025 | — |
| Q2 2025 | — |
| Q1 2025 | — |
| Q4 2024 | — |
| Q3 2024 | — |
| Q2 2024 | — |
| Q1 2024 | $599.9M |
CNI Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 2.5x | Moderate |
| Q1 2026 | 2.4x | Moderate |
| Q4 2025 | 2.4x | Moderate |
| Q3 2025 | 2.4x | Moderate |
| Q2 2025 | 2.3x | Moderate |
| Q1 2025 | 2.4x | Moderate |
| Q4 2024 | 2.4x | Moderate |
| Q3 2024 | 2.3x | Moderate |
CNI's net debt is about 2.5 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), up from 2.3 years a year ago.
VRT Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | 0.1x | Very low |
| Q1 2026 | 0.3x | Very low |
| Q4 2025 | 0.6x | Very low |
| Q3 2025 | 0.8x | Very low |
| Q2 2025 | 0.7x | Very low |
| Q1 2025 | 0.8x | Very low |
| Q4 2024 | 1.0x | Healthy |
VRT has the edge over CNI on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
CNI Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 62.4 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 66.0 | Neutral |
CNI's weekly RSI is 62 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 66 (neutral).
VRT Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 43.0 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 26.4 | Neutral |
VRT's weekly RSI is 43 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 26 (neutral).
CNI PE vs Industrials Sector
| Metric | CNI | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 23x | 24x | 3.1% below |
| PE % | 78 | 58 | 20 pts above |
CNI has the edge over VRT on valuation relative to its sector.
VRT PE vs Industrials Sector
| Metric | VRT | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 39x | 24x | 63% above |
| PE % | 3 | 58 | 55 pts below |
VRT is trading at 39x earnings, a 63% premium to the Industrials sector's median of 24x.
CNI Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $122.4 | 4.4% above |
| 20 week MA | $124.2 | 2.9% above |
| 50 week MA | $113.9 | 12% above |
| 100 week MA | $106.5 | 20% above |
| 200 week MA | $112.5 | 14% above |
CNI has the edge over VRT on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
VRT Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $221.8 | 5.5% below |
| 20 week MA | $254.4 | 18% below |
| 50 week MA | $253.9 | 17% below |
| 100 week MA | $189.1 | 11% above |
| 200 week MA | $123.5 | 70% above |
VRT has pulled back, but its long-term trend is still up: it's below its 8-, 20- and 50-week averages, but 70% above its 200-week average.
CNI Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $90.9 | $109.7 | +21% |
| 2021 | $109.7 | $121.7 | +11% |
| 2022 | $121.7 | $120.4 | -1% |
| 2023 | $120.4 | $125.6 | +4.3% |
| 2024 | $125.6 | $102.0 | -19% |
| 2025 | $102.0 | $98.7 | -3.2% |
| 2026 YTD | $98.7 | $127.8 | +29% |
CNI has the edge over VRT on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
VRT Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $10.9 | $18.9 | +73% |
| 2021 | $18.9 | $24.9 | +31% |
| 2022 | $24.9 | $12.8 | -48% |
| 2023 | $12.8 | $48.0 | +275% |
| 2024 | $48.0 | $115.1 | +140% |
| 2025 | $115.1 | $167.6 | +46% |
| 2026 YTD | $167.6 | $209.6 | +25% |
VRT's yearly returns have swung widely, from +275% in 2023 to −48% in 2022. It's up 25% so far in 2026.