Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. vs Shell PLC — how do they compare? Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. trades at $42.57 (market cap $88.15B), while Shell PLC trades at $84.44 (market cap $230.24B). The key difference: Shell PLC is far larger — about 2.6× Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.'s market cap, and Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. pays the higher dividend (4.13%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| CNQ | SHEL | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $88.15B | $230.24B |
Sector | Energy | Energy |
52-Week High | $50.55 | $94.15 |
52-Week Low | $29.31 | $70.28 |
Enterprise Value | $99.38B | $282.77B |
Dividend Yield | 4.13% | 3.7% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
CNQ trades at $43.05, up 2.97% today, with a bullish technical signal supported by moving averages and ADX. The stock shows strong fundamentals with a P/E of 11.8, net income margin of 24.5%, and consistent earnings beats in recent quarters. Recent news highlights its robust asset base and operational efficiency amid volatile oil markets. Cash flow remains positive, with 2025 net cash flow at $542 million.
Outlook is positive with analyst consensus strongly favoring Buy (75%), driven by valuation appeal and shareholder returns via dividends and buybacks. Key risks include oil price volatility and rising debt-to-asset ratio, which increased to 22.04% in 2024. The stock's proximity to its 52-week high suggests cautious optimism, but fundamentals support long-term growth potential.
Shell (SHEL) trades at $83.98, up 2.13% in the last session, with a bullish technical signal and strong analyst consensus. Recent Q1 2026 earnings beat expectations at $2.44 EPS, while Q2 2026 is projected at $2.88. Valuation metrics appear attractive with a P/E of 13.08 and P/S of 0.92. News highlights include the ARC Resources acquisition approval and Venezuela gas field developments, indicating strategic growth initiatives.
The outlook for SHEL is positive, supported by robust cash flows, a 69% buy rating from analysts, and a consensus price target of $122.20. Risks include declining revenue trends from $381.3B in 2022 to $266.9B in 2025 and geopolitical disruptions in Middle East production. Investors may find value in its dividend yield and LNG market exposure, though macroeconomic volatility remains a concern.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
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.
Read more on CNQ →Shell is an integrated oil and gas company that explores for, produces, and refines oil around the world. In 2021, it produced 1.7 million barrels of liquids and 8.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. At year-end 2021, reserves stood at 9.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent, 50% of which consisted of liquids. Its production and reserves are in Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa, and North and South America. The company operates refineries with capacity of 1.8 mmb/d located in the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Europe and sells 15 mtpa of chemicals. Its largest chemical plants, often integrated with its local refineries, are in Central Europe, China, Singapore, and North America.
Read more on SHEL →