Where Will Canadian Natural Resources Be in 5 Years?

Energy stocks look simple until you own one. Price swings, politics, pipelines, and weather can all hit it at once. So, investors should focus on what management can actually control. Costs, decline rates, balance sheet strength, and capital discipline matter more than the daily oil chart. It also helps to know what kind of producer it is, as a long-life oil sands base behaves very differently from a short-cycle shale player. Then you can ask the only question that matters: can it keep paying you and buying back shares even when the cycle turns? Let’s look at one that just might.

CNQ

Canadian Natural Resources (TSX:CNQ) runs a diversified set of assets across Western Canada, with international exposure in the U.K. North Sea and offshore Africa. The core appeal comes from its long-life, low-decline oil sands operations, which can throw off cash for decades if it keeps costs tight. That makes it less of a sprint and more of a marathon, which fits five-year thinking.

Over the last year, the headline trend around it has been steady shareholder returns paired with a larger long-term buildout mood. It kept declaring a quarterly dividend, and it continued to frame itself as a free-cash-flow machine. It also kept signalling that it wants to invest through the cycle, not just when oil feels safe.

The biggest “where is it headed” clue came from its 2026 budget messaging. It set a 2026 capital budget of about $6.43 billion and said it aimed to fund early work on multiple oil sands expansion opportunities. That doesn’t mean it will spend $15 billion tomorrow, but it does show intent. It wants a pipeline of projects ready when economics and approvals line up. If you want a conservative energy dividend stock, you should notice when it starts talking like a builder again.

Where earnings sit

Now, the earnings reality check. In its third quarter of 2025, it generated adjusted net earnings of about $1.8 billion, or $0.86 per share, and adjusted funds flow of about $3.9 billion, or $1.88 per share. CNQ lives and dies on cash generation. It also returned roughly $1.5 billion to shareholders in the quarter, with about $1.2 billion in dividends and about $300 million in share repurchases.

It also posted record quarterly production of about 1.6 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) in that same quarter, which helps explain why cash stayed strong even with commodity noise. Scale gives it optionality. It can lean on one area when another runs into downtime or weaker pricing. That reduces the chance that one bad break ruins the full year.

Looking forward, the playbook seems clear: keep the base business steady, keep costs competitive, and use surplus cash for dividends, buybacks, and selective growth. Its 2026 budget notes highlighted a balanced production mix target and a focus on resilience through different commodity prices. That framing matters as the next five years will probably include at least one ugly oil tape. A dividend stock that plans for that tends to disappoint investors less.

Bottom line

Where will it be in five years? If management sticks to its pattern, it likely looks like a bigger, more efficient version of itself, with a fatter base of long-life production and a track record of returns that kept rolling through the cycle. The dividend stock price will still swing, because that is what energy does, but the business should keep trying to turn volatility into shareholder payouts. And even so, with a 4.6% yield, here’s what even $7,000 can start earning.

COMPANYRECENT PRICENUMBER OF SHARESANNUAL DIVIDENDANNUAL TOTAL PAYOUTFREQUENCYTOTAL INVESTMENTCNQ$51.97134$2.35$314.90Quarterly$6,963.98

The bear case remains real: a prolonged low-price environment, tougher regulation, or cost overruns could dull the story. Still, if you want an energy name that can plausibly keep paying you while it plans its next leg of growth, CNQ has a credible shot at being in a stronger position by early 2031 than it is today.

The post Where Will Canadian Natural Resources Be in 5 Years? appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

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* Returns as of January 15th, 2026

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Fool contributor Amy Legate-Wolfe has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Canadian Natural Resources. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.