Canadian National Railway CoCNI +0.17%90 Altman Z-Score is 2.68 as of Jun. 27, 2026, which is 19% below its 10-year median of 3.30. GuruFocus rates CNI with a GF Score™ of 90/100 and a GF Value™ of $113.15 (Fairly Valued). The stock has 8 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,000 Transportation companies, Canadian National Railway Co ranks better than 59.6% on this metric.
The Altman Z-Score is a model designed to predict the likelihood of a company going bankrupt within the next two years. Created by American finance professor Edward Altman in 1968, the model is specifically designed for publicly traded manufacturing companies with assets greater than $1 million.
Warning Sign:
Altman Z-score of 2.74 is in the grey area. This implies that the company is under some kind of financial stress. If it is below 1.8, the company may face bankruptcy risk.
Canadian National Railway Co has a Altman Z-Score of 2.68, indicating it is in Grey Zones. This implies that Canadian National Railway Co is in some kind of financial stress. If it is below 1.81, the company may face bankrupcy risk.
The zones of discrimination were as such:
When Altman Z-Score <= 1.8, it is in Distress Zones.
When Altman Z-Score >= 3, it is in Safe Zones.
When Altman Z-Score is between 1.8 and 3, it is in Grey Zones.
The historical rank and industry rank for Canadian National Railway Co's Altman Z-Score or its related term are showing as below:
CNI'
s Altman Z-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 2.46 Med: 3.3 Max: 3.99
Current: 2.74
During the past 13 years, Canadian National Railway Co's highest Altman Z-Score was 3.99. The lowest was 2.46. And the median was 3.30.
Canadian National Railway Co (NYSE:CNI) Altman Z-Score Explanation
X1: The Working Capital/Total Assets (WC/TA) ratio is a measure of the net liquid assets of the firm relative to the total capitalization. Working capital is defined as the difference between current assets and current liabilities. Ordinarily, a firm experiencing consistent operating losses will have shrinking current assets in relation to total assets. Altman found this one proved to be the most valuable liquidity ratio comparing with the current ratio and the quick ratio. This is however the least significant of the five factors.
X2: Retained Earnings/Total Assets: the RE/TA ratio measures the leverage of a firm. Retained earnings is the account which reports the total amount of reinvested earnings and/or losses of a firm over its entire life. Those firms with high RE, relative to TA, have financed their assets through retention of profits and have not utilized as much debt.
X3, Earnings Before Interest and Taxes/Total Assets (EBIT/TA): This ratio is a measure of the true productivity of the firm's assets, independent of any tax or leverage factors. Since a firm's ultimate existence is based on the earning power of its assets, this ratio appears to be particularly appropriate for studies dealing with corporate failure. This ratio continually outperforms other profitability measures, including cash flow.
X4, Market Value of Equity/Book Value of Total Liabilities (MVE/TL): The measure shows how much the firm's assets can decline in value (measured by market value of equity plus debt) before the liabilities exceed the assets and the firm becomes insolvent.
X5, Revenue/Total Assets (S/TA): The capital-turnover ratio is a standard financial ratio illustrating the sales generating ability of the firm's assets.
* 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.
For the Railroads subindustry, Canadian National Railway Co's Altman Z-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Altman Z-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 Altman Z-Score vs Transportation Industry
For the Transportation industry and Industrials sector, Canadian National Railway Co's Altman Z-Score distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Canadian National Railway Co's Altman Z-Score falls into.
Canadian National Railway Co Altman Z-Score Calculation
Altman Z-Score model is an accurate forecaster of failure up to two years prior to distress. It can be considered the assessment of the distress of industrial corporations.
* 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. GuruFocus does not calculate Altman Z-Score when X4 or X5 value is 0.
Canadian National Railway Co (CNI) has a Altman Z-Score of 2.68 as of Jun. 27, 2026. The Altman Z-score measures a company's bankruptcy risk. View historical data on Canadian National Railway Co and its competitors. This is 19% below median its historical median of 3.30. Over the past decade, Canadian National Railway Co's Altman Z-Score has ranged from 2.46 to 3.99. According to the industry distribution chart, Canadian National Railway Co ranks #404 out of 1000 companies in the Transportation industry, placing it in the top 40.4%.
Is Canadian National Railway Co's Altman Z-Score too high?
Canadian National Railway Co's current Altman Z-Score of 2.68 is 19% below median its 10-year median of 3.30. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 2.46 to a high of 3.99. The Transportation industry median Altman Z-Score is 2.28. Canadian National Railway Co's value of 2.68 is 17.5% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Canadian National Railway Co ranks #404 out of 1000 companies in the Transportation industry, which is above the industry midpoint. Overall, Canadian National Railway Co has a GF Score™ of 90/100 and is considered Fairly Valued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Canadian National Railway Co's Altman Z-Score compare to UNP and CSX?
According to the Transportation industry distribution chart, Canadian National Railway Co ranks #404 out of 1000 companies for Altman Z-Score. This puts Canadian National Railway Co in the upper half of its industry. The industry median Altman Z-Score is 2.28. Canadian National Railway Co's value of 2.68 is 17.5% above this benchmark. Historically, Canadian National Railway Co's own Altman Z-Score has ranged from 2.46 to 3.99 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 3.30 vs. the industry median of 2.28, Canadian National Railway Co has consistently been above the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Altman Z-Score for a Transportation company?
The median Altman Z-Score among Transportation companies is 2.28, based on 1,000 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Altman Z-Score significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Altman Z-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Canadian National Railway Co's current Altman Z-Score of 2.68 is 17.5% above the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Altman Z-Score mean?
A high Altman Z-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Altman Z-score measures a company's bankruptcy risk. View historical data on Canadian National Railway Co and its competitors. For the Transportation industry, the median Altman Z-Score is 2.28 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Canadian National Railway Co's current Altman Z-Score is 2.68, which is 19% below median its own 10-year median of 3.30. 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 $113.15, compared to a current price of $120.56 — trading 6.5% above its estimated fair value. The current Altman Z-Score is 2.68, which is 19% below median its 10-year median of 3.30 and 17.5% above the Transportation industry median of 2.28. Canadian National Railway Co's overall GF Score™ is 90/100 with 8 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Altman Z-Score calculated?
Altman Z-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Canadian National Railway Co (CNI), the current Altman Z-Score is 2.68 as of Jun. 27, 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 $120.56 is trading 6.5% above its estimated GF Value™ of $113.15.
GuruFocus considers Canadian National Railway Co to be Fairly Valued.
Key valuation signals for CNI:
Altman Z-Score: 2.68 (19% below median its 10-year median of 3.30)
GF Value™: $113.15 vs. price of $120.56 (6.5% above fair value)
Industry Position: 17.5% above the Transportation median (#404 of 1000)
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'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.
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