Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ) Shares Purchased by Blue Trust Inc.

Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ) (TSE:CNQ) by 72.1% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 5,019 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,103 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Canadian Natural Resources were worth $179,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CNQ. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Canadian Natural Resources in the 1st quarter worth $218,000. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. increased its holdings in Canadian Natural Resources by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 908,250 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $70,040,000 after acquiring an additional 8,333 shares in the last quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC increased its holdings in Canadian Natural Resources by 10.9% in the 1st quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC now owns 4,444 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $339,000 after acquiring an additional 436 shares in the last quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV increased its holdings in Canadian Natural Resources by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV now owns 64,131 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $4,894,000 after acquiring an additional 1,368 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Canadian Natural Resources by 11.7% in the 1st quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,481 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $342,000 after acquiring an additional 469 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.03% of the company’s stock.

Canadian Natural Resources Price Performance

Canadian Natural Resources stock opened at $35.55 on Friday. Canadian Natural Resources Limited has a 52-week low of $29.45 and a 52-week high of $41.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $75.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.16 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $34.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $36.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

Canadian Natural Resources (NYSE:CNQ) (TSE:CNQ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.26. Canadian Natural Resources had a net margin of 18.05% and a return on equity of 22.09%. The business had revenue of $7.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.43 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Canadian Natural Resources Limited will post 2.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Canadian Natural Resources Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a $0.388 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $1.55 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.37%. This is a positive change from Canadian Natural Resources’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Canadian Natural Resources’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Canadian Natural Resources from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Canadian Natural Resources in a report on Thursday, July 18th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Finally, Desjardins raised shares of Canadian Natural Resources from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.50.

Canadian Natural Resources Company Profile

Canadian Natural Resources Limited acquires, explores for, develops, produces, markets, and sells crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (NGLs). The company offers light and medium crude oil, primary heavy crude oil, Pelican Lake heavy crude oil, bitumen (thermal oil), and synthetic crude oil (SCO).