Zacks Research Analysts Lift Earnings Estimates for CNQ

Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ) (TSE:CNQ) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research raised their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Canadian Natural Resources in a research report issued on Monday, January 5th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the oil and gas producer will earn $0.52 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $0.50. Zacks Research currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Canadian Natural Resources’ current full-year earnings is $2.45 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Canadian Natural Resources’ Q2 2026 earnings at $0.45 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.59 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.53 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $2.08 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.68 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $2.51 EPS.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on CNQ. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Canadian Natural Resources to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Evercore ISI cut shares of Canadian Natural Resources from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Canadian Natural Resources in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. TD Securities restated a “buy” rating on shares of Canadian Natural Resources in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $62.00 target price on shares of Canadian Natural Resources in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Canadian Natural Resources has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $48.50.

Canadian Natural Resources Price Performance

CNQ stock opened at $31.59 on Wednesday. Canadian Natural Resources has a one year low of $24.65 and a one year high of $35.12. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $32.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.79 billion, a PE ratio of 13.98 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Canadian Natural Resources (NYSE:CNQ) (TSE:CNQ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $6.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.81 billion. Canadian Natural Resources had a return on equity of 18.93% and a net margin of 14.90%.During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.97 earnings per share.

Canadian Natural Resources Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th were issued a $0.5875 dividend. This is an increase from Canadian Natural Resources’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 12th. This represents a $2.35 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.4%. Canadian Natural Resources’s dividend payout ratio is presently 74.34%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Canadian Natural Resources

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CNQ. Tacita Capital Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Canadian Natural Resources by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Tacita Capital Inc now owns 5,753 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $184,000 after buying an additional 330 shares during the period. Haven Private LLC raised its holdings in Canadian Natural Resources by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. Haven Private LLC now owns 11,617 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $365,000 after acquiring an additional 383 shares during the period. King Luther Capital Management Corp boosted its holdings in Canadian Natural Resources by 1.2% during the second quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 32,283 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,014,000 after acquiring an additional 387 shares during the period. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Canadian Natural Resources by 2.2% in the third quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 17,886 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $572,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Canadian Natural Resources by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,939 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $158,000 after purchasing an additional 426 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.03% of the company’s stock.

Key Canadian Natural Resources News

Here are the key news stories impacting Canadian Natural Resources this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised several near‑term and fiscal EPS estimates for CNQ (Q1‑Q4 2026, FY2026 and Q1/FY2027) — incremental upward revisions (e.g., Q1 2027 to $0.68; FY2027 to $2.51) imply slightly stronger earnings outlook vs prior forecasts, a near‑term positive for the stock. Zacks estimate note
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite the EPS bumps, Zacks retains a “Hold” rating on CNQ and the revisions are small — this limits the immediate bullish impact and suggests expectations are being fine‑tuned rather than materially upgraded. Zacks / MarketBeat
• Negative Sentiment: A Reuters analysis warns that a full resumption of Venezuelan crude exports (should U.S. sanctions ease) could flood markets with ~1M bpd of oil, benefiting U.S. refiners and pressuring North American producers’ prices and margins — a macro supply tailwind that would likely hurt CNQ’s pricing and margins if realized. Venezuelan oil could hurt Canadian producers
• Negative Sentiment: Evercore ISI downgraded CNQ from “Outperform” to “In‑Line,” which can weigh on investor sentiment and reduce demand for the shares absent stronger fundamental news. Finviz / downgrade notice

Canadian Natural Resources Company Profile

Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE: CNQ) is a Calgary-based independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company. Established in the early 1970s and publicly listed in Canada and the United States, the company is principally engaged in the exploration, development, production, and marketing of crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. Its asset base spans conventional and unconventional reservoirs and includes oil sands mining and in-situ thermal projects, midstream processing and upgrading capacity, and related field operations.

The company’s operations are concentrated in Western Canada, where it develops heavy crude, bitumen from oil sands and conventional light crude and natural gas resources.