Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ) Shares Sold by Virtu Financial LLC

Virtu Financial LLC lowered its stake in shares of Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ) (TSE:CNQ) by 8.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,964 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 1,478 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC’s holdings in Canadian Natural Resources were worth $493,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Canadian Natural Resources during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in Canadian Natural Resources during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Continuum Advisory LLC raised its stake in Canadian Natural Resources by 144.1% during the third quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 830 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares during the period. Sandy Spring Bank purchased a new position in Canadian Natural Resources during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Canadian Natural Resources in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. 74.03% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CNQ. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Canadian Natural Resources from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Canadian Natural Resources from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Tudor Pickering cut shares of Canadian Natural Resources from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Raymond James reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Canadian Natural Resources in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Scotiabank raised shares of Canadian Natural Resources from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $63.00.

Canadian Natural Resources Price Performance

Shares of CNQ opened at $31.13 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $29.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $32.17. The stock has a market cap of $65.39 billion, a PE ratio of 12.09 and a beta of 1.48. Canadian Natural Resources Limited has a 1-year low of $25.62 and a 1-year high of $41.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

Canadian Natural Resources Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.4117 per share. This represents a $1.65 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. This is an increase from Canadian Natural Resources’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. Canadian Natural Resources’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 77.88%.

Canadian Natural Resources 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).