Cenovus Energy (NYSE:CVE) Downgraded by Veritas to Strong Sell

Veritas lowered shares of Cenovus Energy (NYSE:CVE) (TSE:CVE) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

CVE has been the topic of several other reports. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Cenovus Energy from $29.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Cenovus Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Zacks Research lowered shares of Cenovus Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Cenovus Energy in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, TD Securities reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Cenovus Energy in a research note on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $27.33.

Cenovus Energy Trading Down 0.9%

NYSE:CVE opened at $22.35 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $42.02 billion, a PE ratio of 14.61 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $18.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $17.70. Cenovus Energy has a 12 month low of $10.23 and a 12 month high of $23.39.

Cenovus Energy (NYSE:CVE) (TSE:CVE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The oil and gas company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.08. Cenovus Energy had a return on equity of 13.25% and a net margin of 7.92%.The firm had revenue of $9.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.89 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.07 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Cenovus Energy will post 1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Cenovus Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. Cenovus Energy’s payout ratio is currently 37.25%.

Institutional Trading of Cenovus Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CVE. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in Cenovus Energy by 16.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 124,313,513 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,103,090,000 after buying an additional 17,730,542 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Cenovus Energy by 12.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 63,525,477 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,074,660,000 after acquiring an additional 7,197,843 shares during the period. Capital International Investors lifted its position in shares of Cenovus Energy by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 50,979,140 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $862,505,000 after acquiring an additional 1,903,432 shares in the last quarter. FIL Ltd lifted its position in shares of Cenovus Energy by 40.0% in the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 38,533,059 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $651,880,000 after acquiring an additional 11,019,212 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of Cenovus Energy by 46.7% in the third quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 30,643,806 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $520,196,000 after acquiring an additional 9,753,134 shares during the period. 51.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Cenovus Energy News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Cenovus Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat and higher upstream production — Cenovus reported Q4 EPS above estimates driven by stronger oil sands output; that operational beat and confirmed dividends are a direct near-term positive for valuation and investor sentiment. Cenovus Energy Q4 Earnings Top Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: ATB Cormark raised target and issued a Buy — ATB Cormark upgraded its view on Cenovus and raised its target (reported twice in press releases), which supports further upside as investors track analyst price-target momentum. ATB Cormark Raised its Target Price by 15%
• Positive Sentiment: RBC Capital raised its price target and reiterated Outperform — another institutional upgrade that reinforces the buy-side narrative around Cenovus’s asset mix and dividend profile. RBC Capital Increases Cenovus Target
• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank upgrade — a separate bank upgrade adds to the analyst momentum supporting the stock. Cenovus Upgraded at Scotiabank
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector consolidation: $38B wave in Canada’s oil patch — a large 2025 consolidation among oil-sands players could reshape asset ownership and competitive dynamics; impact on Cenovus depends on whether it gains, sells or is diluted by larger peers. Canada’s Oil Patch Consolidation Wave
• Neutral Sentiment: Suncor’s strong performance highlighted — Suncor’s record production and cost improvements spotlight competitive strength in the peer group; this can draw rotation within the sector even as it validates resilience across majors. Suncor’s Record Run
• Negative Sentiment: Wall Street Zen lowered its rating — an isolated downgrade introduces some sell-side friction and may prompt short-term profit-taking by investors watching analyst crowding. Cenovus Stock Rating Lowered

About Cenovus Energy

Cenovus Energy Inc is a Canadian integrated energy company engaged in the exploration, development and production of crude oil, natural gas liquids and natural gas, together with downstream refining and marketing activities. Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Cenovus operates a mix of oil sands thermal and dilbit assets, conventional oil and gas properties, and owns refining and midstream assets designed to move and process hydrocarbons into finished petroleum products for commercial markets.

The company was originally formed as a spin‑off from Encana Corporation in 2009 and has grown through organic development and strategic acquisitions.