Permex Petroleum and Canadian Natural Resources Compared

Analysts see more upside potential in Canadian Natural Resources stock

Apr. 18, 2026 at 12:22am

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A highly detailed, cinematic close-up image of industrial oil and gas equipment, including pumps, valves, and pipelines, conveying the technical complexity and scale of the energy sector.An extreme close-up of the complex machinery that powers the global energy industry, a visual metaphor for the technical and financial intricacies of major oil and gas companies.Dallas Today

Permex Petroleum (OTCMKTS:OILCF) and Canadian Natural Resources (NYSE:CNQ) are both energy companies, but Canadian Natural Resources has higher revenue, earnings, and institutional ownership, as well as a stronger consensus rating from analysts.

Why it matters

This analysis provides insight into the relative financial performance, valuation, and market perception of these two energy companies, which can help investors make more informed decisions about where to allocate their capital in the energy sector.

The details

The key differences between the two companies are that Canadian Natural Resources has higher net margins, return on equity, and return on assets compared to Permex Petroleum. Canadian Natural Resources also has higher revenue and earnings per share, and is trading at a higher price-to-earnings ratio, indicating it is currently the more expensive of the two stocks. However, Canadian Natural Resources also has a lower beta, suggesting its stock is less volatile than Permex Petroleum's. Importantly, Canadian Natural Resources has much stronger institutional ownership at 74% compared to just 9.5% for Permex Petroleum.

  • The analysis is based on the most recent financial data available as of April 18, 2026.

The players

Permex Petroleum

A junior oil and gas company that engages in the acquisition, development, and production of oil and gas properties in the United States, primarily in the Permian Basin of West Texas and southeast New Mexico.

Canadian Natural Resources

A large Canadian energy company that acquires, explores for, develops, produces, markets, and sells crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids, primarily in Western Canada, the United Kingdom portion of the North Sea, and Offshore Africa.

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The takeaway

This analysis highlights the significant differences in financial performance, valuation, and market perception between the two energy companies. While Permex Petroleum may be trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio, the stronger fundamentals, higher institutional ownership, and more favorable analyst ratings for Canadian Natural Resources suggest it may be the better long-term investment option of the two.