Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Barnwell Industries, Inc. (BRN) vs Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNQ) Stock
Analyze side-by-side fundamentals, valuation, growth, and profitability to decide which stock is the better buy.
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Quick Verdict
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | CNQ | -12.7% revenue growth vs BRN's -36.9% |
| Quality / Margins | CNQ | 15.5% net margin vs BRN's -53.1% |
| Stability / Safety | BRN | Beta 0.18 vs CNQ's 0.79, lower leverage |
| Dividends | CNQ | 3.5% yield; 1-year raise streak; BRN pays no meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | CNQ | +60.8% vs BRN's -21.9% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | CNQ | 7.8% ROA vs BRN's -30.7%, ROIC 23.0% vs -61.9% |
Who Each Stock Is For
Income & stability
Growth exposure
Long-term compounding (10Y)
Sleep-well-at-night portfolio
Defensive / Recession hedge
Business Model
What each company does and how it makes money
Barnwell Industries is an oil and gas exploration and production company with operations in Canada and land investments in Hawaii. It generates revenue primarily from oil and gas production in Alberta—roughly 70% of total revenue—with additional income from land investment activities and contract drilling services. The company's key advantage lies in its established land positions and operational expertise in Alberta's oil fields, though its small scale limits competitive moats.
Canadian Natural Resources is a major integrated oil and gas producer with operations across Western Canada, the North Sea, and Offshore Africa. It generates revenue primarily from crude oil production—including synthetic crude oil, light/medium crude, and bitumen—with natural gas and natural gas liquids as secondary streams. The company's competitive advantage lies in its massive, long-life reserves—particularly its oil sands assets—which provide decades of low-decline production and operational scale.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
How each company's revenue is distributed across its business units
Financial Metrics Comparison
Side-by-side fundamentals across 2 stocks. BestLagging
Financial Scorecard
CNQ leads in 3 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Profitability & Efficiency). BRN leads in 2 (Valuation Metrics, Analyst Outlook). 1 tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
CNQ is the larger business by revenue, generating $43.0B annually — 3454.2x BRN's $12M. CNQ is the more profitable business, keeping 15.5% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to BRN's -53.1%. On growth, CNQ holds the edge at -8.5% YoY revenue growth, suggesting stronger near-term business momentum.
| Metric | BRNBarnwell Industri… | CNQCanadian Natural … |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $12M | $43.0B |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | -$3M | $21.2B |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | -$7M | $6.7B |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | -$607,000 | $8.1B |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +8.6% | +31.0% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | -50.9% | +28.7% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | -53.1% | +15.5% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | -4.9% | +18.9% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -40.2% | -8.5% |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +31.6% | -72.6% |
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | BRNBarnwell Industri… | CNQCanadian Natural … |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $14M | $91.2B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $12M | $105.9B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | -1.65x | 21.02x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | — | 15.33x |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | 4.51x |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | — | 6.21x |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 1.04x | 3.50x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | 1.63x | 3.25x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | — | 15.41x |
Profitability & Efficiency
CNQ delivers a 16.4% return on equity — every $100 of shareholder capital generates $16 in annual profit, vs $-81 for BRN. BRN carries lower financial leverage with a 0.04x debt-to-equity ratio, signaling a more conservative balance sheet compared to CNQ's 0.51x. On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), CNQ scores 5/9 vs BRN's 2/9, reflecting solid financial health.
| Metric | BRNBarnwell Industri… | CNQCanadian Natural … |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | -80.6% | +16.4% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | -30.7% | +7.8% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | -61.9% | +23.0% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | -27.5% | +23.3% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 2 | 5 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | 0.04x | 0.51x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | -$3M | $20.2B |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $3M | $131M |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $264,000 | $20.3B |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | -991.14x | 10.83x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in CNQ five years ago would be worth $35,679 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $3,738 for BRN. Over the past 12 months, CNQ leads with a +60.8% total return vs BRN's -21.9%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors CNQ at 19.6% vs BRN's -21.4% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | BRNBarnwell Industri… | CNQCanadian Natural … |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | -0.9% | +27.5% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | -21.9% | +60.8% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -51.5% | +71.2% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -62.6% | +256.8% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -6.5% | +420.6% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | -21.4% | +19.6% |
Risk & Volatility
BRN is the less volatile stock with a 0.18 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than CNQ's 0.79 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. CNQ currently trades 99.4% from its 52-week high vs BRN's 50.0% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | BRNBarnwell Industri… | CNQCanadian Natural … |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 0.18x | 0.79x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $2.28 | $44.02 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $0.93 | $24.65 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +50.0% | +99.4% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 50.2 | 76.4 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 126K | 7.8M |
Analyst Outlook
CNQ is the only dividend payer here at 3.45% yield — a key consideration for income-focused portfolios.
| Metric | BRNBarnwell Industri… | CNQCanadian Natural … |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | — | Buy |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | — | $35.00 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | — | 37 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | — | +3.5% |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | 2 | 1 |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | — | $2.07 |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | 0.0% | +2.1% |
Historical Charts
Charts are rendered on first load. Hover for details.
Chart 1Total Return — 5 Years (Rebased to 100)
| Stock | Mar 20 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnwell Industries… (BRN) | 100 | 170 | +70.0% |
| Canadian Natural Re… (CNQ) | 100 | 284.71 | +184.7% |
Canadian Natural Re… (CNQ) returned +257% over 5 years vs Barnwell Industries… (BRN)'s -63%. A $10,000 investment in CNQ 5 years ago would be worth $35,679 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnwell Industries… (BRN) | $13M | $14M | +3.1% |
| Canadian Natural Re… (CNQ) | $11.1B | $35.7B | +221.3% |
Barnwell Industries, Inc.'s revenue grew from $13M (2016) to $14M (2025) — a 0.3% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnwell Industries… (BRN) | -27.2% | -50.4% | -85.4% |
| Canadian Natural Re… (CNQ) | -1.8% | 17.1% | +1031.6% |
Barnwell Industries, Inc.'s net margin went from -27% (2016) to -50% (2025).
Chart 4P/E Ratio History — 7 Years
| Stock | 2017 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnwell Industries… (BRN) | 14.9 | 5.2 | -65.1% |
| Canadian Natural Re… (CNQ) | 17.5 | 10.8 | -38.3% |
Barnwell Industries, Inc. has traded in a 4x–15x P/E range over 3 years; current trailing P/E is ~-2x. Canadian Natural Resources Limited has traded in a 6x–18x P/E range over 7 years; current trailing P/E is ~21x.
Chart 5EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnwell Industries… (BRN) | -0.44 | -0.69 | -56.8% |
| Canadian Natural Re… (CNQ) | -0.1 | 2.85 | +3100.0% |
Barnwell Industries, Inc.'s EPS grew from $-0.44 (2016) to $-0.69 (2025).
Chart 6Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Barnwell Industries, Inc. generated $-5M FCF in 2025 (-348% vs 2021). Canadian Natural Resources Limited generated $8B FCF in 2024 (+3% vs 2021).
BRN vs CNQ: Frequently Asked Questions
7 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is BRN or CNQ a better buy right now?
Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNQ) offers the better valuation at 21.0x trailing P/E (15.3x forward), making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNQ) a "Buy" — based on 37 analyst ratings — the highest consensus in this comparison. The "better buy" depends entirely on your goals: growth investors should weight revenue trajectory, value investors should weight P/E and PEG, and income investors should weight dividend yield and streak.
02Which is the better long-term investment — BRN or CNQ?
Over the past 5 years, Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNQ) delivered a total return of +256.8%, compared to -62.6% for Barnwell Industries, Inc. (BRN). A $10,000 investment in CNQ five years ago would be worth approximately $36K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: CNQ returned +420.6% versus BRN's -6.5%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.
03Which is safer — BRN or CNQ?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Barnwell Industries, Inc. (BRN) is the lower-risk stock at 0.18β versus Canadian Natural Resources Limited's 0.79β — meaning CNQ is approximately 331% more volatile than BRN relative to the S&P 500. On balance sheet safety, Barnwell Industries, Inc. (BRN) carries a lower debt/equity ratio of 4% versus 51% for Canadian Natural Resources Limited — giving it more financial flexibility in a downturn.
04Which has better profit margins — BRN or CNQ?
Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNQ) is the more profitable company, earning 17.1% net margin versus -50.4% for Barnwell Industries, Inc. — meaning it keeps 17.1% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: CNQ leads at 47.1% versus -39.1% for BRN. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — CNQ leads at 49.3%, reflecting greater pricing power or product mix advantage. Stronger margins indicate durable pricing power, lower cost of revenue, or higher mix of software/services. They are one of the clearest signs of business quality.
05Which pays a better dividend — BRN or CNQ?
In this comparison, CNQ (3.5% yield) pays a dividend. BRN does not pay a meaningful dividend and should not be held primarily for income.
06Is BRN or CNQ better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNQ) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.79), 3.5% yield, +420.6% 10Y return). Both have compounded well over 10 years (CNQ: +420.6%, BRN: -6.5%), confirming both are viable long-term holds — but the lower-volatility option typically results in less emotional selling during corrections. Retirement portfolios generally favour predictability over maximum returns. Consult a financial advisor before making allocation decisions.
07What are the main differences between BRN and CNQ?
Both stocks operate in the Energy sector, making this a peer-level intra-sector comparison — the same macro tailwinds and headwinds will affect both. In terms of investment character: BRN is a small-cap quality compounder stock; CNQ is a mid-cap income-oriented stock. CNQ pays a dividend while BRN does not, making them suitable for different income and tax situations. These fundamental differences mean investors should not choose between them on a single metric — the "better stock" depends entirely on which of these characteristics aligns with your investment strategy.
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