CNI (Canadian National Railway Co) Beneish M-Score: -2.84 (As of Jun. 24, 2026)


CNI Canadian National Railway Co CNI
91 GF Score
Price $115.91
GF Value $114.56
Valuation Fairly Valued
! 6 Warning Signs
View Full Analysis

What is Canadian National Railway Co Beneish M-Score?

Canadian National Railway Co CNI +0.88% 91 Beneish M-Score is -2.84 as of Jun. 24, 2026. GuruFocus rates CNI with a GF Score™ of 91/100 and a GF Value™ of $114.56 (Fairly Valued). The stock has 6 warning signs investors should review. Among 966 Transportation companies, Canadian National Railway Co ranks better than 73.81% on this metric.

The zones of discrimination for M-Score is as such:

An M-Score of equal or less than -1.78 suggests that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.
An M-Score of greater than -1.78 signals that the company is likely to be a manipulator.

Good Sign:

Beneish M-Score -2.84 no higher than -1.78, which implies that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.

The historical rank and industry rank for Canadian National Railway Co's Beneish M-Score or its related term are showing as below:

CNI' s Beneish M-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -2.89   Med: -2.68   Max: -2.04
Current: -2.84

During the past 13 years, the highest Beneish M-Score of Canadian National Railway Co was -2.04. The lowest was -2.89. And the median was -2.68.


Canadian National Railway Co Beneish M-Score Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for Canadian National Railway Co's Beneish M-Score can be seen below:

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

Canadian National Railway Co Beneish M-Score Chart

Canadian National Railway Co Annual Data
Trend Dec16 Dec17 Dec18 Dec19 Dec20 Dec21 Dec22 Dec23 Dec24 Dec25
Beneish M-Score
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only -2.15 -2.49 -2.65 -2.59 -2.84

Canadian National Railway Co Quarterly Data
Jun21 Sep21 Dec21 Mar22 Jun22 Sep22 Dec22 Mar23 Jun23 Sep23 Dec23 Mar24 Jun24 Sep24 Dec24 Mar25 Jun25 Sep25 Dec25 Mar26
Beneish M-Score Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 0.00 0.00 0.00 -2.84 0.00

CNI vs UNP, CSX, NSC: Beneish M-Score Comparison

For the Railroads subindustry, Canadian National Railway Co's Beneish M-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Beneish M-Score data, can be viewed below:

* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.


Canadian National Railway Co Beneish M-Score vs Transportation Industry

For the Transportation industry and Industrials sector, Canadian National Railway Co's Beneish M-Score distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where Canadian National Railway Co's Beneish M-Score falls into.


CNI
91GF Score
Canadian National Railway Co CNI
Beneish M-Score is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
View Full Analysis

Canadian National Railway Co Beneish M-Score Calculation

The M-score was created by Professor Messod Beneish. Instead of measuring the bankruptcy risk (Altman Z-Score) or business trend (Piotroski F-Score), M-score can be used to detect the risk of earnings manipulation. This is the original research paper on M-score.

The M-Score Variables:

The M-score of Canadian National Railway Co for today is based on a combination of the following eight different indices:

M=-4.84+0.92 * DSRI+0.528 * GMI+0.404 * AQI+0.892 * SGI+0.115 * DEPI
=-4.84+0.92 * 0.8419+0.528 * 0.9646+0.404 * 1.0546+0.892 * 1.0484+0.115 * 0.9993
-0.172 * SGAI+4.679 * TATA-0.327 * LVGI
-0.172 * 1+4.679 * -0.049851-0.327 * 0.9853
=-2.81

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

This Year (Dec25) TTM:Last Year (Dec24) TTM:
Total Receivables was $810 Mil.
Revenue was $12,544 Mil.
Gross Profit was $5,315 Mil.
Total Current Assets was $1,791 Mil.
Total Assets was $42,447 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was $35,946 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was $1,405 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was $0 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was $2,679 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was $14,945 Mil.
Net Income was $3,422 Mil.
Gross Profit was $428 Mil.
Cash Flow from Operations was $5,110 Mil.
Total Receivables was $917 Mil.
Revenue was $11,965 Mil.
Gross Profit was $4,890 Mil.
Total Current Assets was $1,838 Mil.
Total Assets was $40,055 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was $34,004 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was $1,328 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was $0 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was $2,791 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was $14,088 Mil.




1. DSRI = Days Sales in Receivables Index

Measured as the ratio of Revenue in Total Receivables in year t to year t-1.

A large increase in DSR could be indicative of revenue inflation.

DSRI=(Receivables_t / Revenue_t) / (Receivables_t-1 / Revenue_t-1)
=(809.714 / 12543.675) / (917.386 / 11964.624)
=0.064552 / 0.076675
=0.8419

2. GMI = Gross Margin Index

Measured as the ratio of gross margin in year t-1 to gross margin in year t.

Gross margin has deteriorated when this index is above 1. A firm with poorer prospects is more likely to manipulate earnings.

GMI=GrossMargin_t-1 / GrossMargin_t
=(GrossProfit_t-1 / Revenue_t-1) / (GrossProfit_t / Revenue_t)
=(4890.152 / 11964.624) / (5314.969 / 12543.675)
=0.408718 / 0.423717
=0.9646

3. AQI = Asset Quality Index

AQI is the ratio of asset quality in year t to year t-1.

Asset quality is measured as the ratio of non-current assets other than Property, Plant and Equipment to Total Assets.

AQI=(1 - (CurrentAssets_t + PPE_t) / TotalAssets_t) / (1 - (CurrentAssets_t-1 + PPE_t-1) / TotalAssets_t-1)
=(1 - (1791.229 + 35946.357) / 42446.539) / (1 - (1838.282 + 34003.65) / 40055.45)
=0.110938 / 0.105192
=1.0546

4. SGI = Sales Growth Index

Ratio of Revenue in year t to sales in year t-1.

Sales growth is not itself a measure of manipulation. However, growth companies are likely to find themselves under pressure to manipulate in order to keep up appearances.

SGI=Sales_t / Sales_t-1
=Revenue_t / Revenue_t-1
=12543.675 / 11964.624
=1.0484

5. DEPI = Depreciation Index

Measured as the ratio of the rate of Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization in year t-1 to the corresponding rate in year t.

DEPI greater than 1 indicates that assets are being depreciated at a slower rate. This suggests that the firm might be revising useful asset life assumptions upwards, or adopting a new method that is income friendly.

DEPI=(Depreciation_t-1 / (Depreciaton_t-1 + PPE_t-1)) / (Depreciation_t / (Depreciaton_t + PPE_t))
=(1327.999 / (1327.999 + 34003.65)) / (1404.857 / (1404.857 + 35946.357))
=0.037587 / 0.037612
=0.9993

Note: If the Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization data is not available, we assume that the depreciation rate is constant and set the Depreciation Index to 1.

6. SGAI = Sales, General and Administrative expenses Index

The ratio of Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) to Sales in year t relative to year t-1.

SGA expenses index > 1 means that the company is becoming less efficient in generate sales.

SGAI=(SGA_t / Sales_t) / (SGA_t-1 /Sales_t-1)
=(0 / 12543.675) / (0 / 11964.624)
=0 / 0
=1

7. LVGI = Leverage Index

The ratio of total debt to Total Assets in year t relative to yeat t-1.

An LVGI > 1 indicates an increase in leverage

LVGI=((LTD_t + CurrentLiabilities_t) / TotalAssets_t) / ((LTD_t-1 + CurrentLiabilities_t-1) / TotalAssets_t-1)
=((14944.545 + 2679.232) / 42446.539) / ((14087.878 + 2790.763) / 40055.45)
=0.415199 / 0.421382
=0.9853

8. TATA = Total Accruals to Total Assets

Total accruals calculated as the change in working capital accounts other than cash less depreciation.

TATA=(IncomefromContinuingOperations_t - CashFlowsfromOperations_t) / TotalAssets_t
=(NetIncome_t - NonOperatingIncome_t - CashFlowsfromOperations_t) / TotalAssets_t
=(3421.53 - 427.691 - 5109.822) / 42446.539
=-0.049851

An M-Score of equal or less than -1.78 suggests that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator. An M-Score of greater than -1.78 signals that the company is likely to be a manipulator.

Canadian National Railway Co has a M-score of -2.81 suggests that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.

Frequently Asked Questions Learn more about Beneish M-Score →
What does a Beneish M-Score of -2.84 mean?
Canadian National Railway Co (CNI) has a Beneish M-Score of -2.84 as of Jun. 24, 2026. The Beneish M-score measures the likelihood of earnings manipulation. View historical data on Canadian National Railway Co and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Canadian National Railway Co ranks #253 out of 966 companies in the Transportation industry, placing it in the top 26.2%.
Is Canadian National Railway Co's Beneish M-Score too high?
Canadian National Railway Co's current Beneish M-Score is -2.84. Based on the distribution chart, Canadian National Railway Co ranks #253 out of 966 companies in the Transportation industry, which is above the industry midpoint. Overall, Canadian National Railway Co has a GF Score™ of 91/100 and is considered Fairly Valued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Canadian National Railway Co's Beneish M-Score compare to UNP and CSX?
According to the Transportation industry distribution chart, Canadian National Railway Co ranks #253 out of 966 companies for Beneish M-Score. This puts Canadian National Railway Co in the upper half of its industry. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Beneish M-Score for a Transportation company?
A good Beneish M-Score depends on the Transportation industry context. However, Beneish M-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Beneish M-Score mean?
A high Beneish M-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Beneish M-score measures the likelihood of earnings manipulation. View historical data on Canadian National Railway Co and its competitors. Canadian National Railway Co's current Beneish M-Score is -2.84. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Canadian National Railway Co stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Canadian National Railway Co (CNI) is currently considered Fairly Valued. The stock's GF Value™ is $114.56, compared to a current price of $115.91 — trading 1.2% above its estimated fair value. The current Beneish M-Score is -2.84. Canadian National Railway Co's overall GF Score™ is 91/100 with 6 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Beneish M-Score calculated?
Beneish M-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Canadian National Railway Co (CNI), the current Beneish M-Score is -2.84 as of Jun. 24, 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.

Is Canadian National Railway Co (CNI) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Canadian National Railway Co stock appears to be overvalued. The current stock price of $115.91 is trading 1.2% above its estimated GF Value™ of $114.56. GuruFocus considers Canadian National Railway Co to be Fairly Valued.

Key valuation signals for CNI:

  • Beneish M-Score: -2.84
  • GF Value™: $114.56 vs. price of $115.91 (1.2% above fair value)
  • GF Score™: 91/100 with 6 warning signs

No single metric tells the full story. See the CNI stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.


Canadian National Railway Co Business Description

Address 935 de La Gauchetiere Street West, Montreal, QC, CAN, H3B 2M9
Canadian National's railway spans Canada from coast to coast and extends through Chicago to the Gulf of Mexico. In 2025, CN generated CAD 17.7 billion in revenue by hauling intermodal containers (22% of consolidated revenue), petroleum and chemicals (21%), grain and fertilizers (23%), forest products (10%), metals and minerals (11%), automotive shipments (5%), and coal (5%). Other items constitute the remaining revenue.
91GF Score

Get the complete analysis for CNI

Beneish M-Score is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.

$115.91
Price
$114.56
GF Value