Compared to Estimates, Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) Q1 Earnings: A Look at Key Metrics

For the quarter ended March 2026, Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) reported revenue of $7.88 billion, up 3.4% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $0.85, compared to $0.81 in the year-ago quarter.The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $7.49 billion, representing a surprise of +5.22%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +14.87%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $0.74.While investors scrutinize revenue and earnings changes year-over-year and how they compare with Wall Street expectations to determine their next move, some key metrics always offer a more accurate picture of a company's financial health.Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.Here is how Canadian Natural Resources performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:Production Volumes, before royalties - Crude Oil and NGLs - North America E&P - Light Crude Oil: 76.85 thousands of barrels of oil versus the two-analyst average estimate of 74.38 thousands of barrels of oil.International Exploration and Production - Natural gas production: 2 thousands of barrels of oil versus 11.81 thousands of barrels of oil estimated by two analysts on average.Production Volumes, before royalties - Crude Oil and NGLs - North America E&P - Primary Heavy: 93.82 thousands of barrels of oil versus the two-analyst average estimate of 91.76 thousands of barrels of oil.Production Volumes, before royalties - Crude Oil and NGLs - North America E&P - Thermal In Situ: 274.67 thousands of barrels of oil versus 273.8 thousands of barrels of oil estimated by two analysts on average.Production Volumes, before royalties - Crude Oil and NGLs - Oil Sands Mining and Upgrading: 587.95 thousands of barrels of oil versus the two-analyst average estimate of 598.98 thousands of barrels of oil.Crude Oil and NGLs Sales Volumes - North America - NGLs: 117.37 thousands of barrels of oil versus the two-analyst average estimate of 115.29 thousands of barrels of oil.Production Volumes, before royalties - Crude Oil and NGLs - International - North Sea: 4.83 thousands of barrels of oil compared to the 9.27 thousands of barrels of oil average estimate based on two analysts.Production Volumes, before royalties - Crude Oil and NGLs - International - Offshore Africa: 2.04 thousands of barrels of oil versus the two-analyst average estimate of 2.8 thousands of barrels of oil.Production Volumes, before royalties - Total crude oil and NGL: 1,198,079.00 BBL/D compared to the 1,208,025.00 BBL/D average estimate based on two analysts.Production Volumes, before royalties - Total Natural Gas: 2670 millions of cubic feet versus the two-analyst average estimate of 2630.71 millions of cubic feet.Production Volumes, before royalties - Natural Gas - North America: 2,668.00 Mcf/D compared to the 2,618.90 Mcf/D average estimate based on two analysts.Production Volumes, before royalties - Natural Gas - International - North Sea: 2.00 Mcf/D versus 3.02 Mcf/D estimated by two analysts on average.View all Key Company Metrics for Canadian Natural Resources here>>>Shares of Canadian Natural Resources have returned -3.9% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +9.1% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), indicating that it could outperform the broader market in the near term.Beyond Nvidia: AI's Second Wave Is HereThe AI revolution has already minted millionaires. But the stocks everyone knows about aren't likely to keep delivering the biggest profits. AI’s second wave is moving from infrastructure to implementation and these companies are at the forefront of this transition, positioned to become what Amazon and Google were to the internet era.See Stocks Now >>This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks