Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages

Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ - Get Free Report) TSE: CNQ has been assigned an average rating of "Hold" from the four research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $51.00.

Separately, Desjardins raised shares of Canadian Natural Resources from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th.

Canadian Natural Resources Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE CNQ traded up $0.04 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $30.16. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,538,720 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,206,966. Canadian Natural Resources has a 12-month low of $29.23 and a 12-month high of $41.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm has a market cap of $63.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.71 and a beta of 1.47. The business's 50 day moving average is $33.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $34.35.

Canadian Natural Resources (NYSE:CNQ - Get Free Report) TSE: CNQ last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $7.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.40 billion. Canadian Natural Resources had a return on equity of 20.07% and a net margin of 18.45%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.96 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Canadian Natural Resources will post 2.47 EPS for the current year.

Canadian Natural Resources Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.388 per share. This represents a $1.55 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.15%. This is a boost from Canadian Natural Resources's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. Canadian Natural Resources's dividend payout ratio is presently 64.59%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CNQ. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Canadian Natural Resources by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC now owns 7,302 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $242,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares in the last quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC raised its holdings in Canadian Natural Resources by 4.1% in the third quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC now owns 10,158 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $337,000 after purchasing an additional 404 shares in the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Canadian Natural Resources by 4.9% during the third quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,018 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $300,000 after buying an additional 419 shares during the last quarter. Pitcairn Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Canadian Natural Resources by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 36,390 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $1,209,000 after buying an additional 475 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Canadian Natural Resources by 144.1% in the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 830 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 490 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.03% of the company's stock.

About Canadian Natural Resources

Canadian Natural Resources Limited acquires, explores for, develops, produces, markets, and sells crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (NGLs). The company offers light and medium crude oil, primary heavy crude oil, Pelican Lake heavy crude oil, bitumen (thermal oil), and synthetic crude oil (SCO).