Virtu Financial LLC Takes $579,000 Position in Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ)

Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ - Free Report) TSE: CNQ during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 17,442 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock, valued at approximately $579,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RFP Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Canadian Natural Resources by 98.3% in the second quarter. RFP Financial Group LLC now owns 710 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares during the period. Continuum Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Canadian Natural Resources by 144.1% during the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 830 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in Canadian Natural Resources by 71.2% during the second 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 period. Coastline Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Canadian Natural Resources in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Canadian Natural Resources in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 74.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Canadian Natural Resources Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of CNQ traded up $0.20 on Friday, hitting $31.47. 5,087,042 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,253,273. The stock's 50 day moving average is $34.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $34.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.25 and a beta of 1.47. Canadian Natural Resources Limited has a 1 year low of $29.45 and a 1 year high of $41.29.

Canadian Natural Resources (NYSE:CNQ - Get Free Report) TSE: CNQ last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.30. Canadian Natural Resources had a return on equity of 20.07% and a net margin of 18.45%. The business had revenue of $7.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.96 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a $0.388 dividend. This represents a $1.55 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 64.59%.

Canadian Natural Resources Profile

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).