Canadian National Railway Co. vs UnitedHealth Group Inc — how do they compare? Canadian National Railway Co. trades at $127.75 (market cap $76.48B), while UnitedHealth Group Inc trades at $403.13 (market cap $364.06B). The key difference: UnitedHealth Group Inc is far larger — about 4.8× Canadian National Railway Co.'s market cap, and UnitedHealth Group Inc pays the higher dividend (2.29%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| CNI | UNH | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $76.48B | $364.06B |
Sector | Industrials | Health |
52-Week High | $130.58 | $436.35 |
52-Week Low | $90.91 | $259.02 |
Enterprise Value | $92.52B | $405.92B |
Dividend Yield | 2.06% | 2.29% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
CNI trades at $126.29, up 0.91% on the day, with a neutral technical signal and bullish moving averages. The company reported strong Q2 2026 earnings, beating estimates with EPS of $1.50, and raised its full-year guidance, driven by record grain volumes and operational efficiency. Financials show solid profitability with a net income margin of 26.92% and ROE of 22.02%, though valuation ratios like P/E of 22.62 appear elevated.
The outlook is positive due to robust operational performance and raised guidance, but risks include stretched valuation, economic sensitivity, and competitive pressures. Analyst consensus is a Buy with a $152.38 price target, implying potential upside, though recent downgrades highlight valuation concerns.
UnitedHealth Group (UNH) trades at $402.19, down 1.6% with bearish technical signals despite strong fundamental performance. The company reported three consecutive quarterly earnings beats with Q1 2026 EPS of $7.23 beating estimates by 12%. Revenue grew to $447.57 billion in 2025, though net margins compressed to 2.69%. Analyst consensus remains strongly bullish with 83% buy ratings and a $476.50 price target representing 18% upside potential.
UNH presents a compelling long-term investment opportunity driven by aging demographics and healthcare digitization, but faces near-term headwinds from regulatory scrutiny and margin pressure. The stock's current valuation at 25.85x P/E appears reasonable given growth prospects, though investors should monitor legal challenges and Medicare reimbursement trends that could impact profitability.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
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 →UnitedHealth Group is one of the largest private health insurers, providing medical benefits to 50 million members globally, including 5 million outside the U.S. at the end of 2021. As a leader in employer-sponsored, self-directed, and government-backed insurance plans, UnitedHealth has obtained massive scale in managed care. Along with its insurance assets, UnitedHealth's continued investments in its Optum franchises have created a healthcare services colossus that spans everything from medical and pharmaceutical benefits to providing outpatient care and analytics to both affiliated and third-party customers.
Read more on UNH →