Canadian Natural Resources Limited $CNQ Shares Sold by QV Investors Inc.

QV Investors Inc. trimmed its stake in Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ) (TSE:CNQ) by 7.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 576,725 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 45,142 shares during the quarter. Canadian Natural Resources makes up about 1.6% of QV Investors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. QV Investors Inc.’s holdings in Canadian Natural Resources were worth $19,560,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CNQ. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC bought a new stake in Canadian Natural Resources in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Canadian Natural Resources by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Canadian Natural Resources in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Canadian Natural Resources during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Canadian Natural Resources by 47.3% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,644 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 528 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.03% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on CNQ shares. Evercore lowered Canadian Natural Resources from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings raised Canadian Natural Resources from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday, March 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Canadian Natural Resources from $37.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Canadian Natural Resources from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Canadian Natural Resources from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 31st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Canadian Natural Resources currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $57.00.

Canadian Natural Resources Stock Down 0.1%

CNQ opened at $47.49 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.95. The company has a market capitalization of $99.07 billion, a PE ratio of 12.87 and a beta of 0.53. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $43.76 and its 200-day moving average is $36.53. Canadian Natural Resources Limited has a one year low of $24.65 and a one year high of $51.34.

Canadian Natural Resources (NYSE:CNQ) (TSE:CNQ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.06. Canadian Natural Resources had a return on equity of 17.84% and a net margin of 24.48%.The business had revenue of $6.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.93 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Canadian Natural Resources Limited will post 2.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Canadian Natural Resources Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be paid a $0.625 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 20th. This represents a $2.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.3%. This is an increase from Canadian Natural Resources’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.59. Canadian Natural Resources’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.59%.

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.