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Data last updated: Oct 19, 2026
Snapshot (as of Oct 19, 2026): Canadian National Railway Company (CNI) pays a $3.61 annual dividend ($0.90 quarterly), yielding 2.12% at $121.79/share. Next ex-dividend date 2026-09-08. 28+ consecutive years of dividend growth (Dividend Aristocrat). Source: Yahoo Finance, aggregated by MerryDiv.
Dividend Yield: 2.12%
Annual Dividend: $3.61 per share
Payout Ratio: 46.3%
Ex-Dividend Date: 2026-09-08
Dividend Frequency: quarterly
Sector: Industrials
Years of Dividend History: 31
Canadian National Railway Company dividend has been paid without interruption for over three decades, making CNI one of the more enduring income names in the Industrials sector. The company operates rail, intermodal, and trucking networks across Canada and the United States, serving industries from grain and petroleum to automotive and consumer goods. Trailing twelve-month payments total $3.6050 per share, paid quarterly, with the next ex-dividend date on September 8, 2026. A beta of 0.991 puts CNI stock close to market-average volatility, which suits dividend investors who want income without outsized price swings, and its Dividend Aristocrat status reflects 28 consecutive years of increases.
Canadian National Railway Company pays out 46.3% of earnings as dividends, a payout ratio classified as moderate (40–60%). That level leaves a meaningful buffer of retained earnings, and the breadth of CNI's customer base, spanning automotive, fertilizers, forest products, petroleum, and consumer goods, means revenue is not tied to a single commodity cycle. Canadian National Railway Company dividend safety is further supported by the fact that the payout has not been cut in any year visible in the available history. The most significant data-supported pressure point is that rail volumes are sensitive to broader economic slowdowns, which could compress earnings and tighten that buffer.
Canadian National Railway Company dividend history shows a CAGR of 10.1% per year from 2011 to 2025. Per-share payments grew from $0.6588 to $2.5473 over that window (2026 data is partial and excluded from the rate calculation). The smallest annual increase in the window was 3.3% in 2023, which shows growth can slow materially in softer years. At 10.1% annualized, the dividend has roughly quadrupled in fourteen years, a pace that meaningfully outstrips inflation over the same period.
| Period | CAGR | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-Year | +4.2% | $2.25 (2022) | $2.55 (2025) |
| 5-Year | +8.0% | $1.73 (2020) | $2.55 (2025) |
| 10-Year | +10.2% | $0.97 (2015) | $2.55 (2025) |
CNI stock fits dividend investors who prioritize long-term payout growth over immediate high income. The current yield of 2.19% is moderate (2–4%), sitting just above the five-year average of 2.02%, so buyers today are not getting an unusually cheap entry on a yield basis. What they do get is Dividend Aristocrat status backed by 28 consecutive years of increases and a 10.1% annualized growth rate that has compounded payouts substantially over time. The trade-off is straightforward: the yield is not high enough to anchor a pure income portfolio, but the combination of a moderate payout ratio and a long increase streak makes Canadian National Railway Company a credible choice for investors building income that grows.
CNI is a Dividend Aristocrat with 28 consecutive years of dividend increases.
| Payment Date | Amount per Share |
|---|---|
| 2026-09-08 | $0.6640 |
| 2026-06-09 | $0.6555 |
| 2026-03-10 | $0.6746 |
| 2025-12-09 | $0.6407 |
| 2025-09-08 | $0.6427 |
| 2025-06-09 | $0.6489 |
| 2025-03-10 | $0.6150 |
| 2024-12-09 | $0.5987 |
| 2024-09-06 | $0.6231 |
| 2024-06-07 | $0.6180 |
| Year | Total Dividends |
|---|---|
| 2026 | $1.9941 |
| 2025 | $2.5473 |
| 2024 | $2.4618 |
| 2023 | $2.3242 |
| 2022 | $2.2504 |
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