Canadian Natural Resources (TSE:CNQ) Cut to Neutral at Gerdes Energy Research

Gerdes Energy Research lowered shares of Canadian Natural Resources (TSE:CNQ) (NYSE:CNQ) from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a report released on Thursday,BayStreet.CA reports.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on CNQ. Desjardins set a C$52.00 target price on shares of Canadian Natural Resources and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Canadian Natural Resources from C$51.00 to C$50.00 in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company set a C$47.00 target price on Canadian Natural Resources and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. TD Securities boosted their price target on Canadian Natural Resources from C$53.00 to C$54.00 in a report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on Canadian Natural Resources from C$62.00 to C$61.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of C$54.40.

Canadian Natural Resources Trading Up 1.8%

TSE:CNQ opened at C$55.39 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of C$115.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 0.70. Canadian Natural Resources has a one year low of C$34.92 and a one year high of C$55.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 25.79, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.84. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is C$47.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is C$45.43.

Canadian Natural Resources (TSE:CNQ) (NYSE:CNQ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported C$0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of C$9.52 billion for the quarter. Canadian Natural Resources had a return on equity of 19.14% and a net margin of 21.25%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Canadian Natural Resources will post 3.833989 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Canadian Natural Resources

In other Canadian Natural Resources news, insider Brenda Gayle Balog sold 2,252 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of C$49.98, for a total value of C$112,554.96. Following the sale, the insider owned 47,965 shares in the company, valued at approximately C$2,397,290.70. This trade represents a 4.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Also, insider Trevor Wagil sold 14,500 shares of Canadian Natural Resources stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of C$49.96, for a total value of C$724,420.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 14,779 shares in the company, valued at C$738,358.84. The trade was a 49.52% decrease in their position. Insiders sold a total of 48,607 shares of company stock worth $2,413,706 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 4.26% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Canadian Natural Resources

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

• Positive Sentiment: Technical/fundamental backdrop supportive — CNQ is trading near its 52‑week high and above both the 50‑ and 200‑day moving averages, and the company reported healthy margins and earnings in recent quarters, which underpin longer‑term investor confidence.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary on 2026 outlook — recent coverage reviews catalysts and risks for CNQ in 2026 (production, commodity prices, capital returns). Useful context for positioning but not an immediate price driver. What’s ahead for Canadian Natural Resources stock in 2026?
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling cluster — multiple insiders sold stock in late Jan / early Feb: Trevor Wagil (14,500 shares at C$49.96), Ronald Laing (20,000 at C$49.83), Kyle Pisio (7,456 at C$50.11), Brenda Balog (2,252 at C$49.98) and Stephanie Graham (1,930 at C$49.19). Combined dispositions total roughly C$2.3M and include large percentage reductions in some insiders’ holdings; this can weigh on near‑term sentiment (profit‑taking or liquidity reasons are possible).
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrade — Gerdes Energy Research cut CNQ to “Neutral,” which may exert additional short‑term pressure on investor sentiment and could lead momentum traders to take profits. Gerdes Energy Research Downgrades Canadian Natural Resources (TSE:CNQ) to Neutral

Canadian Natural Resources Company Profile

Canadian Natural Resources is one of the largest oil and natural gas producers in western Canada, supplemented by operations in the North Sea and Offshore Africa. The company’s portfolio includes light and medium oil, heavy oil, bitumen, synthetic oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas. Production averaged 1.16 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2020, and the company estimates that it holds over 11.5 billion boe of proven and probable crude oil and natural gas reserves.