Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) Competitors

Suncor Energy (TSE:SU) and Canadian Natural Resources (TSE:CNQ) are both large-cap energy companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their media sentiment, dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation, profitability, institutional ownership, risk and earnings.

Do analysts prefer SU or CNQ?

Suncor Energy presently has a consensus price target of C$62.67, suggesting a potential upside of 16.68%. Canadian Natural Resources has a consensus price target of C$54.75, suggesting a potential upside of 32.79%. Given Canadian Natural Resources' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Canadian Natural Resources is more favorable than Suncor Energy.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Suncor Energy	0 Sell rating(s)	5 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.67
Canadian Natural Resources	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	8 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.77

Which has more volatility and risk, SU or CNQ?

Suncor Energy has a beta of 1.47, suggesting that its share price is 47% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Canadian Natural Resources has a beta of 1.89, suggesting that its share price is 89% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do insiders and institutionals have more ownership in SU or CNQ?

73.1% of Suncor Energy shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 77.8% of Canadian Natural Resources shares are held by institutional investors. 0.0% of Suncor Energy shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 4.3% of Canadian Natural Resources shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Does the media prefer SU or CNQ?

In the previous week, Suncor Energy had 6 more articles in the media than Canadian Natural Resources. MarketBeat recorded 9 mentions for Suncor Energy and 3 mentions for Canadian Natural Resources. Canadian Natural Resources' average media sentiment score of 1.06 beat Suncor Energy's score of 0.68 indicating that Canadian Natural Resources is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Suncor Energy	3 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Canadian Natural Resources	2 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has higher valuation & earnings, SU or CNQ?

Suncor Energy has higher revenue and earnings than Canadian Natural Resources. Suncor Energy is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Canadian Natural Resources, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Suncor Energy	C$52.29B	1.29	C$7.92B	C$6.33	8.48
Canadian Natural Resources	C$35.38B	2.45	C$7.52B	C$3.60	11.45

Is SU or CNQ more profitable?

Canadian Natural Resources has a net margin of 21.25% compared to Suncor Energy's net margin of 15.15%. Canadian Natural Resources' return on equity of 19.14% beat Suncor Energy's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Suncor Energy	15.15%	18.10%	7.01%
Canadian Natural Resources	21.25%	19.14%	8.80%

Is SU or CNQ a better dividend stock?

Suncor Energy pays an annual dividend of C$2.18 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.1%. Canadian Natural Resources pays an annual dividend of C$2.14 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.2%. Suncor Energy pays out 34.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Canadian Natural Resources pays out 59.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years.

Summary

Canadian Natural Resources beats Suncor Energy on 13 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.