CNQ vs MPC vs APA Stock Comparison

Canadian Natural Resources, Marathon Petroleum and Apa Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
CNQ CANADIAN NATURAL RESOURCES Ltd
$55.10 +16.2% 1M +76.2% 1Y
Market cap
$114.69B
P/E
14.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$33.47B
Div. yield
5.64%
Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Energy
5 wins
MPC Marathon Petroleum Corp
$470.49 +19.6% 1M +139.8% 1Y
Market cap
$132.13B
P/E
15.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$156.18B
Div. yield
0.85%
Oil Refining Energy
5 wins
APA APA Corp
$51.66 +20.9% 1M +116.8% 1Y
Market cap
$18.10B
P/E
10.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.61B
Div. yield
1.94%
Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Energy
1 win

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Marathon Petroleum leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Marathon Petroleum 5, Canadian Natural Resources 5, Apa 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCNQMPCAPALeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $114.69B $132.13B $18.10B MPC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 14.3x 15.9x 10.9x APA
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 11.5x 6.9x 8.0x MPC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.7% +15.9% -16.1% MPC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 24.0% 5.5% 19.5% CNQ
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 19.7% — –
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.3x 1.5x 0.7x CNQ
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 5.64% 0.85% 1.94% CNQ
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +76.2% +139.8% +116.8% MPC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +22.0%/yr +48.1%/yr +14.0%/yr MPC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 31.0% 36.1% 43.9% CNQ
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 77/100 64/100 71/100 CNQ

Percentile Scorecard

CNQMPCAPA

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisCNQMPCAPA
Valuation 67 #17 of 49 67 #33 of 98 65 #18 of 49
Growth 89 #6 of 48 86 #13 of 89 77 #12 of 48
Profitability 89 #6 of 46 62 #31 of 80 98 #2 of 46
Financial Health 90 #6 of 52 30 #72 of 102 39 #32 of 52
Shareholder Returns 52 #17 of 34 77 #15 of 62 79 #8 of 34
Overall 77 64 71
  • CNQ ranked among 52 companies in Oil and Gas Upstream
  • MPC ranked among 106 companies in Energy
  • APA ranked among 52 companies in Oil and Gas Upstream

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodCNQMPCAPASPY
1 month +16.2%+19.6%+20.9% -0.8%
3 months +23.0%+50.6%+48.7% +3.5%
6 months +22.4%+107.1%+34.4% +7.0%
Year to date +62.8%+189.3%+111.2% +12.2%
1 year +76.2%+139.8%+116.8% +13.0%
3 years +73.7%+222.3%+28.7% +86.3%
3 years, per year +20.2%+47.7%+8.8% +23.1%
5 years +170.0%+611.2%+92.0% +68.6%
5 years, per year +22.0%+48.1%+14.0% +11.0%
10 years +245.5%+963.0%-16.2% +258.0%
10 years, per year +13.2%+26.7%-1.8% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureCNQMPCAPASPY
Volatility, 1Y 31.0%36.1%43.9% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 32.6%34.7%42.6% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.50-0.24-0.98 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 2.463.872.66 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -38.9%-45.9%-72.7% -25.4%
From 52-week high 0.0%-3.0%-0.5% -1.8%
52-week high $55.10$485.05$51.90 $779.14
52-week low $30.59$162.63$21.66 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleCNQMPCAPA
P/E now vs peer median 14.3xmedian 14.1x 15.9xmedian 15.7x 10.9xmedian 14.1x
P/S now vs peer median 3.4xmedian 2.3x 0.8xmedian 2.1x 2.1xmedian 2.3x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 3.9xmedian 4.9x 9.0xmedian 6.9x 4.8xmedian 4.9x
P/FCF now vs peer median 6.1xmedian 8.1x 10.2xmedian 9.4x 8.6xmedian 8.1x
P/B now vs peer median —median 1.5x 5.1xmedian 1.5x 2.3xmedian 1.5x
PEG now vs peer median 0.27median 1.20 -15.47median 0.93 -19.97median 1.20

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsCNQMPCAPA
Revenue $33.47B $156.18B $8.61B
Gross profit $26.58B $21.79B $7.81B
Operating income $24.77B $14.13B $2.31B
Net income $8.48B $10.31B $1.98B
Free cash flow $18.68B $12.90B $2.11B
R&D – – $142.00M
EPS (diluted) $3.83 $29.50 $4.74
Cash & equivalents $1.84B $7.77B $444.00M
Total debt $49.14B $33.26B $17.14B
Shares (diluted) 2.10B 290.00M 354.00M
Enterprise value $111.70B $122.52B $17.29B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricCNQMPCAPA
P/E 14.3x 15.9x 10.9x
P/FCF 6.1x 10.2x 8.6x
P/Operating cash flow 8.9x 7.7x 4.0x
P/S 3.4x 0.8x 2.1x
P/B – 5.1x 2.3x
P/Tangible book – 5.7x 2.3x
EV/EBITDA 3.9x 9.0x 4.8x
EV/EBIT 5.0x 11.2x 9.3x
EV/Revenue 3.7x 1.0x 2.5x
EV/FCF 6.7x 12.2x 10.1x
EV/Operating cash flow 9.7x 9.2x 4.7x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.27 -15.47 -19.97

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCNQMPCAPA
Revenue growth (1Y) 6.7% 15.9% -16.1%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -2.3% -0.6% -2.3%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 5.0% 71.5% -6.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -3.2% -5.4% 1.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) -26.5% 163.0% 3,511%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -15.2% -9.1% 10.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 42.1% 174.5% 54.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 14.2% -10.4% 2.1%
EPS growth (1Y) 408,311% 324.1% 58.2%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 53.8% -1.0% -0.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 30.3% 164.9% -2.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 5.4% 4.8% 5.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 33.0% 253.7% 33.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 13.6% 1.0% 7.5%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCNQMPCAPA
Gross margin 79.4% 14.0% 90.8%
EBITDA margin 94.6% 11.2% 52.3%
Operating margin 74.0% 9.0% 26.8%
Pretax margin 32.2% 8.2% 36.1%
Net margin 24.0% 5.5% 19.5%
FCF margin 55.8% 8.3% 24.6%
Operating cash flow margin 38.5% 11.0% 52.6%
Return on equity – 42.0% 25.8%
Return on assets – 11.3% 11.0%
Return on invested capital – 19.7% –
Return on capital employed – 22.1% 14.8%
Asset turnover – 1.7x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.5x 1.7x 2.3x
Stock comp / revenue 1.3% – –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCNQMPCAPA
Debt / assets – 35.3% 20.8%
Debt / equity – 1.3x 0.5x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.3x 1.5x 0.7x
Debt / FCF 0.6x 2.6x 1.8x
Liabilities / assets – 72.7% 55.8%
Equity / assets – 27.3% 44.2%
Interest coverage 38.3x 10.4x 10.6x
Current ratio – 1.3x 0.9x
Quick ratio – 0.9x 0.7x
Cash ratio – 0.3x 0.2x
Altman Z-score – 4.06 2.01

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCNQMPCAPA
Dividend yield 5.6% 0.9% 1.9%
Net buyback yield -0.3% 3.7% 1.3%
Shareholder yield 5.4% 4.6% 3.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) 42.5% 11.3% 17.9%
Payout ratio (FCF) 19.3% 9.0% 16.8%
Dividend growth (1Y) -8.3% 2.8% -3.0%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) -111.0% -3.4% 8.8%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusCNQMPCAPA
Forward P/E 11.5xFY2026 6.9xFY2026 8.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $4.79FY2026 $68.22FY2026 $6.48FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +84.9%FY2026 +537.6%FY2026 +71.9%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -15.9% -13.2% -18.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $38.12BFY2026 $192.78BFY2026 $8.84BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +34.8%FY2026 +42.6%FY2026 -4.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -6.5% -9.8% -0.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCNQMPCAPA
Held by institutions 71.6% 75.7% 100.0%
Institutions holding 745 1,930 809
Change in shares held, QoQ -5.0% -0.3% +3.2%
Institutions buying 386 855 432
Institutions selling 242 699 244
Buyers to sellers 1.60 1.22 1.77

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

CNQMPCAPA
CNQ 1.00 0.50 0.72
MPC 0.50 1.00 0.54
APA 0.72 0.54 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CNQ, MPC and APA?

Marathon Petroleum (MPC) is the largest by market capitalisation: Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) $114.69B, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) $132.13B, Apa (APA) $18.10B.

Which stock is cheaper, CNQ, MPC and APA?

Apa (APA) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) 14.3x, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) 15.9x, Apa (APA) 10.9x). On next year's consensus earnings, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) is cheapest (Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) 11.5x, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) 6.9x, Apa (APA) 8.0x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Marathon Petroleum (MPC) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) +6.7%, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) +15.9%, Apa (APA) -16.1%.

Which company is more profitable?

Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) has the highest net margin (Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) 24.0%, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) 5.5%, Apa (APA) 19.5%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Marathon Petroleum (MPC) returned the most: Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) +76.2%, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) +139.8%, Apa (APA) +116.8%. Over five years, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) compounded fastest (Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) +22.0%/yr, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) +48.1%/yr, Apa (APA) +14.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) has the highest dividend yield: Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) 5.64%, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) 0.85%, Apa (APA) 1.94%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) has been the steadiest (Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) 31.0%, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) 36.1%, Apa (APA) 43.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CNQ, MPC and APA?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.