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Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Canadian Natural Resources logo
$48.28 -1.36 (-2.74%)
As of 09/21/2026 03:58 PM Eastern

Canadian Natural Resources - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Sell
0
Hold
5
Buy
7

Based on 12 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Canadian Natural Resources in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy." Out of the 12 analysts, 5 have given a hold rating, and 7 have given a buy rating for CNQ.

Consensus Price Target

$57.00
18.06% Upside
According to the 12 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Canadian Natural Resources, the average price target is $57.00. The highest price target for CNQ is $65.00, while the lowest price target for CNQ is $49.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 18.06% from the current price of $48.28.
MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.
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CNQ Analyst Ratings Over Time

TypeCurrent Forecast
9/22/25 to 9/22/26
1 Month Ago
8/23/25 to 8/23/26
3 Months Ago
6/24/25 to 6/24/26
1 Year Ago
9/22/24 to 9/22/25
Strong Buy
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy
7 Buy rating(s)
6 Buy rating(s)
7 Buy rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
Hold
5 Hold rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
Sell
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target$57.00$57.00$57.00$62.00
Forecasted Upside18.06% Upside10.85% Upside44.55% Upside93.21% Upside
Consensus RatingModerate BuyModerate BuyModerate BuyModerate Buy

CNQ Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.
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CNQ Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.
Skip Chart and View Analyst Price Target HistorySkip Chart & View Price History Table

Canadian Natural Resources Stock vs. The Competition

TypeCanadian Natural ResourcesEnergy CompaniesBroader Market
Consensus Rating Score
2.58
2.45
2.53
Consensus RatingModerate BuyHoldModerate Buy
Predicted Upside18.06% Upside37.05% Upside18.02% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Positive News

See Recent CNQ News
Positive News
Positive News
DateBrokerageAnalystActionRatingPrice TargetReport Date
Upside/Downside
Details
9/18/2026
Weiss Ratings logo
Weiss Ratings
5 of 5 stars
 UpgradeBuy (B-)Buy (B)
9/16/2026 Reiterated RatingOutperform
8/27/2026 Reiterated RatingOutperform
8/19/2026 DowngradeStrong-BuyHold
8/7/2026 Reiterated RatingSector Perform
8/7/2026 Reiterated RatingBuy
7/16/2026 UpgradeHold
3/12/2026Boost TargetBuy$37.00 ➝ $49.00+0.96%
3/6/2026Boost TargetOutperform$61.00 ➝ $65.00+42.70%
3/5/2026 DowngradeStrong-BuyModerate Buy
1/6/2026 DowngradeOutperformIn-Line
10/16/2025 UpgradeHold
7/17/2025 Reiterated RatingSector Perform
2/10/2025DowngradeStrong-BuyHold

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Tuesday at 03:46 AM ET.


Should I Buy Canadian Natural Resources Stock? CNQ Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Friday, September 18, 2026. Please send any questions or comments about these Canadian Natural Resources pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Canadian Natural Resources
Bull Case

green Wall Street bull icon

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in Canadian Natural Resources Limited:

  • Canadian Natural Resources Limited recently reported strong financial performance, posting earnings per share of $1.58 for the quarter ended August 6, 2026, which exceeded the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.15, demonstrating the company's ability to generate profits above market expectations.
  • The company offers a compelling dividend yield of 3.50% based on the current stock price of $49.61, providing investors with a steady income stream that is attractive compared to many other equities in the energy sector.
  • >
  • Analysts maintain a positive outlook on the stock, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a target price of $57.00, which suggests potential upside of approximately 15% from the current trading level of $49.61.
  • Canadian Natural Resources Limited has demonstrated consistent revenue growth, with actual revenue of $14.74 billion in the most recent quarter significantly surpassing the consensus estimate of $9.40 billion, indicating strong operational execution and demand for its energy products.
  • The stock has shown robust price performance, reaching a 52-week high of $52.31 in September 2026, reflecting investor confidence in the company's long-term value proposition and its position in the oil and gas exploration and production industry.

Canadian Natural Resources
Bear Case

red Wall Street bear icon

Investors should be bearish about investing in Canadian Natural Resources Limited for these reasons:

  • Short interest in Canadian Natural Resources Limited increased by 96.3% in August 2026, with 113,170,168 shares sold short, indicating that a significant portion of the market is betting against the stock's future performance.
  • The days-to-cover ratio has risen to 20.5 days, meaning it would take over three weeks of average trading volume to close all short positions, which could lead to significant volatility and potential price pressure if shorts continue to accumulate.
  • Despite recent earnings beats, the company's debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32 and current ratio of 1.00 suggest that while it is not highly leveraged, it has limited liquidity buffers, which could be a concern in a downturn in oil prices or economic slowdown.
  • Some institutional investors have reduced their stakes in the company, such as Tidal Investments LLC cutting its position by 11.6% in the second quarter, which may signal a lack of confidence among certain large holders in the stock's near-term prospects.
  • The stock's beta of 0.47 indicates lower volatility than the market, but this also means it may underperform in a strong bull market, potentially limiting upside potential for investors seeking aggressive growth.

CNQ Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 12 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Canadian Natural Resources is $57.00, with a high forecast of $65.00 and a low forecast of $49.00.

12 Wall Street equities research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Canadian Natural Resources in the last twelve months. There are currently 5 hold ratings and 7 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street equities research analysts is that investors should "moderate buy" CNQ shares.

According to analysts, Canadian Natural Resources's stock has a predicted upside of 18.06% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Canadian Natural Resources's stock had 5 upgrades and 2 downgrades by analysts.

Canadian Natural Resources has been rated by research analysts at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Desjardins, Raymond James Financial, Scotiabank, TD Securities, Weiss Ratings, and Zacks Research in the past 90 days.

Analysts like Canadian Natural Resources more than other "energy" companies. The consensus rating for Canadian Natural Resources is Moderate Buy while the average consensus rating for "energy" companies is Hold. Learn more on how CNQ compares to other companies.


MarketBeat monitors more than a dozen sources for Canadian Natural Resources analyst ratings, with the most recent rating issued on 9/18/2026.
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