Canadian Natural Resources Limited $CNQ Shares Sold by Guardian Partners Inc.

Guardian Partners Inc. lowered its position in Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ) (TSE:CNQ) by 4.2% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 398,668 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 17,571 shares during the period. Canadian Natural Resources makes up 1.7% of Guardian Partners Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Guardian Partners Inc.’s holdings in Canadian Natural Resources were worth $18,792,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CNQ. Uncommon Cents Investing Inc boosted its position in shares of Canadian Natural Resources by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter. Uncommon Cents Investing Inc now owns 6,930 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $326,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. grew its stake in Canadian Natural Resources by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 53,059 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $2,503,000 after acquiring an additional 1,799 shares during the last quarter. Hidden Cove Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Canadian Natural Resources in the 3rd quarter valued at about $207,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Canadian Natural Resources by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 19,194 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $903,000 after acquiring an additional 363 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its holdings in Canadian Natural Resources by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 16,459,772 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $784,278,000 after acquiring an additional 223,444 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.03% of the company’s stock.

Canadian Natural Resources Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CNQ traded up $0.04 on Wednesday, hitting $54.22. The company had a trading volume of 2,169,852 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,968,577. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $111.43 billion, a PE ratio of 13.40 and a beta of 0.53. Canadian Natural Resources Limited has a 52-week low of $29.98 and a 52-week high of $55.13. The business has a 50 day moving average of $49.85 and a 200 day moving average of $46.68.

Canadian Natural Resources (NYSE:CNQ) (TSE:CNQ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.15. Canadian Natural Resources had a return on equity of 23.91% and a net margin of 22.78%. The firm had revenue of $14.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.40 billion. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Canadian Natural Resources Limited will post 4.10 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Canadian Natural Resources Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th were paid a dividend of C$0.62 per share. This represents a $2.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 11th. Canadian Natural Resources’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Canadian Natural Resources from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Scotiabank reiterated a “sector perform” rating on shares of Canadian Natural Resources in a research report on Monday. Zacks Research raised shares of Canadian Natural Resources from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Canadian Natural Resources from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Desjardins upgraded Canadian Natural Resources to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $57.00.

Canadian Natural Resources Profile

Canadian Natural Resources Limited is an independent energy company engaged in the exploration, development, production, marketing and sale of crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. Its portfolio includes conventional and unconventional petroleum assets, heavy crude oil operations, and oil sands projects that produce bitumen and synthetic crude oil.

The company’s principal operations are located in Western Canada, including oil sands and conventional assets in Alberta and natural gas properties in Alberta and British Columbia.