Marathon Asset Management Ltd Sells 71,013 Shares of Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ)

Marathon Asset Management Ltd reduced its stake in Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ - Free Report) TSE: CNQ by 3.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,941,071 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 71,013 shares during the period. Canadian Natural Resources accounts for 1.9% of Marathon Asset Management Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Marathon Asset Management Ltd owned approximately 0.09% of Canadian Natural Resources worth $60,535,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CNQ. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Canadian Natural Resources during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in shares of Canadian Natural Resources during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sandy Spring Bank bought a new position in shares of Canadian Natural Resources during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. CoreFirst Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Canadian Natural Resources during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Hurley Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Canadian Natural Resources during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 74.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Canadian Natural Resources Trading Down 1.5%

NYSE:CNQ opened at $31.45 on Friday. The company's 50 day moving average price is $30.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $30.31. Canadian Natural Resources Limited has a 52 week low of $24.65 and a 52 week high of $37.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market cap of $65.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.33 and a beta of 1.03.

Canadian Natural Resources (NYSE:CNQ - Get Free Report) TSE: CNQ last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.08. Canadian Natural Resources had a net margin of 16.92% and a return on equity of 20.90%. The company had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.37 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Canadian Natural Resources Limited will post 2.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Canadian Natural Resources Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a $0.4227 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $1.69 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.38%. This is a boost from Canadian Natural Resources's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Canadian Natural Resources's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on CNQ. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $63.00 target price on shares of Canadian Natural Resources in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Canadian Natural Resources from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Scotiabank raised shares of Canadian Natural Resources from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised shares of Canadian Natural Resources from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Canadian Natural Resources currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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).

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