Canadian Natural Resources Limited (TSE:CNQ) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: Twelve analysts give CNQ an average rating of "Moderate Buy" (six Buy, six Hold) with a mean 12‑month price target of C$63.60, while recent firm targets have ranged roughly C$50–C$80.
• Insider selling: Insiders sold 43,682 shares worth about $2.63M in the last quarter (notable sales: Brenda Balog 2,252 shares at C$49.98 and director Gordon G. Giffin 25,000 shares at C$68.01), and insiders own 4.26% of the stock.
• Stock snapshot: CNQ opened at C$64.84, trading near its 52‑week high of C$70.99 with a market cap of C$135.3B, a P/E of 12.57, and strong profitability (net margin ~26% and ROE ~26%).

Canadian Natural Resources Limited (TSE:CNQ - Get Free Report) NYSE: CNQ has earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twelve ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is C$63.60.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on CNQ shares. Gerdes Energy Research cut shares of Canadian Natural Resources from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Canadian Natural Resources from C$48.00 to C$59.00 in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Canadian Natural Resources from C$51.00 to C$50.00 in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. TD Securities lifted their target price on shares of Canadian Natural Resources from C$51.00 to C$64.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Canadian Natural Resources from C$65.00 to C$80.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th.

Insider Activity

In other Canadian Natural Resources news, insider Brenda Gayle Balog sold 2,252 shares of Canadian Natural Resources stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of C$49.98, for a total transaction of C$112,554.96. Following the transaction, the insider owned 47,965 shares of the company's stock, valued at C$2,397,290.70. This trade represents a 4.48% decrease in their position. Also, Director Gordon D. Giffin sold 25,000 shares of Canadian Natural Resources stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$68.01, for a total transaction of C$1,700,250.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 171,210 shares in the company, valued at approximately C$11,643,992.10. This represents a 12.74% decrease in their position. Insiders sold 43,682 shares of company stock worth $2,632,162 in the last quarter. 4.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Canadian Natural Resources Price Performance

Shares of TSE CNQ opened at C$64.84 on Friday. Canadian Natural Resources has a fifty-two week low of C$38.58 and a fifty-two week high of C$70.99. The stock has a market cap of C$135.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.57, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 44.46, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.95. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is C$63.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is C$52.85.

Canadian Natural Resources (TSE:CNQ - Get Free Report) NYSE: CNQ last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported C$0.82 earnings per share for the quarter. Canadian Natural Resources had a net margin of 26.06% and a return on equity of 25.98%. The business had revenue of C$9.61 billion for the quarter. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Canadian Natural Resources will post 3.833989 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Canadian Natural Resources Company Profile

Canadian Natural Resources is one of the largest oil and natural gas producers in western Canada, supplemented by operations in the North Sea and Offshore Africa. The company's portfolio includes light and medium oil, heavy oil, bitumen, synthetic oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas. Production averaged 1.16 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2020, and the company estimates that it holds over 11.5 billion boe of proven and probable crude oil and natural gas reserves.

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