CF Industries Holdings, Inc. vs Canadian National Railway Co. — how do they compare? CF Industries Holdings, Inc. trades at $118.04 (market cap $18.38B), while Canadian National Railway Co. trades at $126.3 (market cap $75.59B). The key difference: Canadian National Railway Co. is far larger — about 4.1× CF Industries Holdings, Inc.'s market cap, and Canadian National Railway Co. pays the higher dividend (2.08%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| CF | CNI | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $18.38B | $75.59B |
Sector | Basic Materials | Industrials |
52-Week High | $137.55 | $130.58 |
52-Week Low | $76.08 | $90.91 |
Enterprise Value | $19.52B | $91.60B |
Dividend Yield | 1.98% | 2.08% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
CF Industries Holdings (CF) trades at $114.35, down 2.04% today, reflecting a bearish technical trend with support at $112 and resistance at $116. The company reported mixed Q2 2026 earnings, missing EPS estimates at $4.73 versus $5.63 expected, but revenue grew 17.6% year-over-year on strong nitrogen pricing. Fundamentals remain solid with a P/E of 8.48 and net income margin of 27.12%, while cash flow improved to $368 million in 2025. Recent news highlights institutional buying and nitrogen market tightness supporting mid-cycle earnings.
Outlook is cautiously optimistic; CF benefits from robust nitrogen demand and pricing, with analyst consensus target at $119.60 implying upside. Risks include volume volatility from plant outages and debt levels, but high ROE (39.19%) and dividend payments signal financial health. Investors may find value at current levels if operational execution aligns with favorable industry conditions.
Canadian National Railway (CNI) trades at $126.60, up 0.16% with neutral technical signals. The company reported strong Q2 2026 results with EPS of $1.50 beating estimates by 7.9% and raised full-year guidance. Fundamentals show solid profitability with 26.92% net margin and 22.02% ROE, though valuation appears elevated at 22.77 P/E. Recent news highlights record grain movements and over 300 customer growth projects across CN's network.
CNI presents a mixed outlook with strong operational execution offset by valuation concerns. The 20% upside to consensus price target of $152.38 offers potential, but debt levels rising to 36.61% of assets and competitive pressures warrant caution. Earnings consistency remains key with Q3 results pending.
Trailing returns across standard periods
CF Industries is a leading producer and distributor of nitrogen fertilizers. The company operates seven nitrogen facilities in North America and holds joint venture interests in further production capacity in the United Kingdom and Trinidad and Tobago. CF makes nitrogen primarily using low-cost U.S. natural gas as its feedstock, making CF one of the lowest-cost nitrogen producers globally.
Read more on CF →Canadian National's railway spans Canada from coast to coast and extends through Chicago to the Gulf of Mexico. In 2019, CN delivered almost 6 million carloads over its 19,600 miles of track. CN generated roughly CAD 14 billion in total revenue by hauling intermodal containers (25% of consolidated revenue), petroleum and chemicals (21%), grain and fertilizers (16%), forest products (12%), metals and mining (11%), automotive shipments (6%), and coal (4%). Other items constitute the remaining revenue.
Read more on CNI →