Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ) Shares Sold by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lessened its stake in Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ - Free Report) TSE: CNQ by 87.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,599 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 69,041 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Canadian Natural Resources were worth $296,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in Canadian Natural Resources in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Canadian Natural Resources during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Sandy Spring Bank purchased a new stake in Canadian Natural Resources in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Canadian Natural Resources during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new position in Canadian Natural Resources during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. 74.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Canadian Natural Resources Stock Performance

NYSE CNQ traded down $0.52 on Wednesday, hitting $30.93. 7,325,867 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,562,262. The firm has a market cap of $64.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.01 and a beta of 1.04. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $29.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $30.43. Canadian Natural Resources Limited has a fifty-two week low of $24.65 and a fifty-two week high of $37.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

Canadian Natural Resources (NYSE:CNQ - Get Free Report) TSE: CNQ last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.14 billion. Canadian Natural Resources had a return on equity of 20.07% and a net margin of 18.45%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.37 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Canadian Natural Resources Limited will post 2.45 EPS for the current year.

Canadian Natural Resources Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a $0.4227 dividend. This is a boost from Canadian Natural Resources's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $1.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.47%. Canadian Natural Resources's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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).