BNP Paribas Financial Markets Acquires 101,430 Shares of Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ - Free Report) TSE: CNQ by 237.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 144,139 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after purchasing an additional 101,430 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in Canadian Natural Resources were worth $4,787,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. RFP Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Canadian Natural Resources by 98.3% in the 2nd quarter. RFP Financial Group LLC now owns 710 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC raised its position in Canadian Natural Resources by 91.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 868 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 415 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Canadian Natural Resources by 104.7% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 874 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 447 shares during the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in Canadian Natural Resources in the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in Canadian Natural Resources by 71.2% in the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 904 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.03% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on CNQ shares. Desjardins raised Canadian Natural Resources from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. StockNews.com downgraded Canadian Natural Resources from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Canadian Natural Resources has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $51.00.

Canadian Natural Resources Price Performance

Shares of CNQ traded down $1.17 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $33.04. 1,607,496 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,251,726. The company has a market cap of $69.73 billion, a PE ratio of 13.29 and a beta of 1.47. Canadian Natural Resources Limited has a 52-week low of $29.45 and a 52-week high of $41.29. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $34.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $35.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.84.

Canadian Natural Resources (NYSE:CNQ - Get Free Report) TSE: CNQ last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $7.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.96 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Canadian Natural Resources Limited will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Canadian Natural Resources Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Investors 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 4.70%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. This is a positive change from Canadian Natural Resources's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Canadian Natural Resources's dividend payout ratio is presently 60.58%.

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).