Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ) Stock Has Average Price Target of $57.00 According to Analysts

Shares of Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ) (TSE:CNQ) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $57.00.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on CNQ shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Canadian Natural Resources from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Raymond James Financial lowered shares of Canadian Natural Resources from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Canadian Natural Resources from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. TD Securities restated a “buy” rating on shares of Canadian Natural Resources in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Canadian Natural Resources from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th.

Key Stories Impacting Canadian Natural Resources

Here are the key news stories impacting Canadian Natural Resources this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CNQ earned $1.18 per share, beating the $1.05 analyst consensus and rising from $0.62 a year earlier. The company also reported a third-quarter profit of C$3 billion, versus C$600 million a year ago. CNQ beats Q3 earnings and revenue estimates Q3 profit report
• Positive Sentiment: Production totaled approximately 1.652 million barrels of oil equivalent per day, including during a planned Horizon turnaround. A separate analysis said strong energy prices and production helped results, while CNQ reached its net-debt target ahead of schedule—supporting potential buybacks and dividends. Third-quarter results Strong results and shareholder yield analysis
• Positive Sentiment: The board declared a quarterly dividend of C$0.625 per share, payable January 5, 2027. The dividend supports CNQ’s income appeal; the reported annualized yield is about 5.1%. Quarterly dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite the positive earnings and dividend news, CNQ shares moved lower in the supplied trading snapshot. The articles do not establish a clear company-specific reason for that market reaction.

Canadian Natural Resources Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE CNQ opened at $48.93 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $50.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.20. Canadian Natural Resources has a 52 week low of $30.13 and a 52 week high of $56.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $100.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.64 and a beta of 0.45.

Canadian Natural Resources (NYSE:CNQ) (TSE:CNQ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.13. Canadian Natural Resources had a return on equity of 23.91% and a net margin of 22.78%. The company had revenue of $8.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.79 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Canadian Natural Resources will post 4.10 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Canadian Natural Resources Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 15th will be given a dividend of C$0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 15th. This represents a $2.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.1%. Canadian Natural Resources’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.44%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Canadian Natural Resources

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of CNQ. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in Canadian Natural Resources in the 1st quarter worth about $1,411,619,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its position in shares of Canadian Natural Resources by 10.0% in the first quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 37,457,500 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,826,578,000 after purchasing an additional 3,397,500 shares during the last quarter. Mufg Securities Canada LTD. lifted its holdings in shares of Canadian Natural Resources by 105.7% during the 2nd quarter. Mufg Securities Canada LTD. now owns 6,350,644 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $250,892,000 after acquiring an additional 3,262,880 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Canadian Natural Resources during the 2nd quarter valued at about $117,215,000. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its stake in Canadian Natural Resources by 49.9% in the first quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 6,565,392 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $320,189,000 after purchasing an additional 2,184,892 shares during the last quarter. 74.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Canadian Natural Resources

Canadian Natural Resources Limited is an independent energy company engaged in the exploration, development, production, marketing and sale of crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. Its portfolio includes conventional and unconventional petroleum assets, heavy crude oil operations, and oil sands projects that produce bitumen and synthetic crude oil.

The company’s principal operations are located in Western Canada, including oil sands and conventional assets in Alberta and natural gas properties in Alberta and British Columbia.