Zacks Research Has Positive Estimate for CNQ Q1 Earnings

Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ) (TSE:CNQ) – Analysts at Zacks Research raised their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Canadian Natural Resources in a research note issued to investors on Monday, January 5th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the oil and gas producer will earn $0.52 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.50. 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’ 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.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.08. Canadian Natural Resources had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 18.93%. The company had revenue of $6.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.97 earnings per share.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. TD Securities reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Canadian Natural Resources in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Desjardins downgraded shares of Canadian Natural Resources from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Scotiabank reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Canadian Natural Resources in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $62.00 price target on shares of Canadian Natural Resources in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. Finally, Evercore ISI downgraded shares of Canadian Natural Resources from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Canadian Natural Resources currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $48.50.

Canadian Natural Resources Price Performance

Shares of CNQ opened at $31.56 on Wednesday. Canadian Natural Resources has a 12-month low of $24.65 and a 12-month high of $35.12. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $32.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market cap of $65.73 billion, a PE ratio of 13.96 and a beta of 0.69.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in CNQ. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Canadian Natural Resources by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 92,486,389 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $2,957,252,000 after acquiring an additional 1,744,290 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Canadian Natural Resources by 4.5% during the second quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 47,939,585 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,505,303,000 after purchasing an additional 2,051,714 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc increased its position in shares of Canadian Natural Resources by 0.8% during the second quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 41,581,125 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,304,267,000 after acquiring an additional 316,933 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in shares of Canadian Natural Resources by 10.3% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 27,359,777 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $855,414,000 after purchasing an additional 2,546,233 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Canadian Natural Resources by 19.8% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,146,792 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $548,214,000 after acquiring an additional 2,832,155 shares during the period. 74.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Canadian Natural Resources Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th were paid a dividend of $0.5875 per share. This is a boost from Canadian Natural Resources’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 12th. This represents a $2.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.4%. Canadian Natural Resources’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.34%.

Key Headlines Impacting Canadian Natural Resources

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple near‑term and FY EPS estimates for CNQ (Q1–Q4 2026, FY2026, Q1 2027 and FY2027) — all by small increments — signaling modestly improved earnings expectations while keeping a “Hold” rating. Upward revisions can support the stock by improving sentiment and valuation outlook. Zacks estimate revisions (MarketBeat)
• Positive Sentiment: CNQ was featured in a Motley Fool/dividend‑income roundup highlighting high-yield, “safe” dividend stocks — coverage like this can attract income investors and boost demand for shares, especially given CNQ’s payout profile. Want Over $2,000 in Dividends Each Year? Invest $12,000 Each Into These 3 Stocks

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.