Zacks Research Brokers Boost Earnings Estimates for CNQ

Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ) (TSE:CNQ) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research upped their Q4 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Canadian Natural Resources in a report released on Monday, December 22nd. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the oil and gas producer will earn $0.56 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $0.55. Zacks Research 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’ Q1 2026 earnings at $0.50 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.52 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $2.04 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.67 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.47 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $2.49 EPS.

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

CNQ has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Canadian Natural Resources in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Canadian Natural Resources to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Canadian Natural Resources in a report on Thursday, October 9th. TD Securities reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Canadian Natural Resources in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, Desjardins cut Canadian Natural Resources from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $62.00.

Canadian Natural Resources Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:CNQ opened at $32.95 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $68.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.58 and a beta of 0.70. Canadian Natural Resources has a 12 month low of $24.65 and a 12 month high of $35.12. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $32.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $31.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Canadian Natural Resources Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a $0.5875 dividend. This represents a $2.35 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This is a positive change from Canadian Natural Resources’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Canadian Natural Resources’s dividend payout ratio is 74.34%.

Institutional Trading of Canadian Natural Resources

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CNQ. Finivi Inc. raised its stake in shares of Canadian Natural Resources by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Finivi Inc. now owns 28,936 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $925,000 after purchasing an additional 895 shares in the last quarter. Mirabella Financial Services LLP lifted its stake in Canadian Natural Resources by 31.6% in the 3rd quarter. Mirabella Financial Services LLP now owns 31,331 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,002,000 after purchasing an additional 7,525 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in Canadian Natural Resources by 33.1% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 8,871 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $284,000 after purchasing an additional 2,204 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd increased its position in Canadian Natural Resources by 13.8% during the third quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 144,701 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $4,634,000 after buying an additional 17,590 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald L. P. acquired a new position in Canadian Natural Resources during the third quarter worth approximately $703,000. Institutional investors own 74.03% of the company’s stock.

Canadian Natural Resources News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple quarterly and annual EPS forecasts for CNQ — including Q4 2025 to $0.56 (from $0.55), Q1 2026 to $0.50 (from $0.49), Q4 2026 to $0.52 (from $0.50), Q1 2027 to $0.67 (from $0.66), Q2 2027 to $0.47 (from $0.46) and Q3 2027 to $0.70 (from $0.69). They also lifted FY2026 to $2.04 (from $2.01) and FY2027 to $2.49 (from $2.45). These upward tweaks signal a marginally improved earnings outlook. MarketBeat CNQ coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Despite the estimate increases, Zacks maintained a “Hold” rating — meaning the firm views the changes as incremental and not yet a catalyst for a stronger buy recommendation. MarketBeat CNQ coverage

About Canadian Natural Resources

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.