Caxton Associates LP Lowers Position in Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ)

Caxton Associates LP trimmed its stake in shares of Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ - Free Report) TSE: CNQ by 86.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 35,152 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 232,454 shares during the quarter. Caxton Associates LP's holdings in Canadian Natural Resources were worth $1,085,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Canadian Natural Resources during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in Canadian Natural Resources during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sandy Spring Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Canadian Natural Resources in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Canadian Natural Resources in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Canadian Natural Resources during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.03% of the company's stock.

Canadian Natural Resources Stock Performance

CNQ traded up $0.49 during trading on Friday, hitting $30.53. 5,543,852 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,418,095. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. Canadian Natural Resources Limited has a 1-year low of $24.65 and a 1-year high of $38.86. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $28.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $30.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.86 and a beta of 1.04.

Canadian Natural Resources (NYSE:CNQ - Get Free Report) TSE: CNQ last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.14 billion. Canadian Natural Resources had a net margin of 18.45% and a return on equity of 20.07%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.37 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Canadian Natural Resources Limited will post 2.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Canadian Natural Resources Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.4227 per share. This is an increase from Canadian Natural Resources's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $1.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.54%. Canadian Natural Resources's dividend payout ratio is 63.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on CNQ shares. Evercore ISI upgraded Canadian Natural Resources from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Tudor Pickering lowered Canadian Natural Resources from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Raymond James raised Canadian Natural Resources from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Scotiabank raised shares of Canadian Natural Resources from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $63.00 target price on shares of Canadian Natural Resources in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $63.00.

Canadian Natural Resources Company 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).