CNQ vs SUN vs VLO Stock Comparison

Canadian Natural Resources, Sunoco and Valero Energy Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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CNQ CANADIAN NATURAL RESOURCES Ltd
$55.08 +16.8% 1M +71.3% 1Y
Market cap
$117.10B
P/E
14.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$33.47B
Div. yield
-0.03%
Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Energy
2 wins
SUN Sunoco LP
$70.84 -2.6% 1M +32.7% 1Y
Market cap
$9.63B
P/E
8.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$39.58B
Div. yield
0.08%
Fuel Distribution Energy
4 wins
VLO Valero Energy Corp/Tx
$384.77 -0.8% 1M +125.5% 1Y
Market cap
$113.24B
P/E
8.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$153.33B
Div. yield
0.01%
Oil Refining Energy
6 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Valero Energy leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Valero Energy 6, Sunoco 4, Canadian Natural Resources 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCNQSUNVLOLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $117.10B $9.63B $113.24B CNQ
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 14.6x 8.3x 8.7x SUN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 11.5x 7.5x 6.9x VLO
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.7% +83.3% +24.6% SUN
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 24.0% 2.9% 8.4% CNQ
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 7.5% 33.4% VLO
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.3x 4.4x 0.1x VLO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield -0.03% 0.08% 0.01% SUN
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +71.3% +32.7% +125.5% VLO
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +21.5%/yr +11.8%/yr +37.9%/yr VLO
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 30.9% 26.7% 38.8% SUN
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 74/100 54/100 77/100 VLO

Percentile Scorecard

CNQSUNVLO

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

AxisCNQSUNVLO
Valuation 76 #25 of 99 59 #10 of 23 50 #12 of 23
Growth 77 #23 of 97 100 #1 of 19 89 #3 of 19
Profitability 83 #17 of 96 18 #15 of 18 88 #3 of 18
Financial Health 94 #7 of 102 39 #15 of 24 87 #4 of 24
Shareholder Returns 41 #46 of 77 53 #9 of 18 71 #6 of 18
Overall 74 54 77
  • CNQ ranked among 103 companies in Oil and Gas Upstream
  • SUN ranked among 25 companies in Refining and Marketing
  • VLO ranked among 25 companies in Refining and Marketing

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodCNQSUNVLOSPY
1 month +16.8%-2.6%-0.8% +0.7%
3 months +16.5%-6.6%+23.4% +3.7%
6 months +15.5%+1.7%+52.3% +7.1%
Year to date +62.7%+35.2%+136.4% +12.8%
1 year +71.3%+32.7%+125.5% +11.9%
3 years +72.7%+42.4%+209.7% +85.2%
3 years, per year +20.0%+12.5%+45.8% +22.8%
5 years +164.6%+75.0%+397.6% +67.6%
5 years, per year +21.5%+11.8%+37.9% +10.9%
10 years +247.3%+149.2%+556.6% +262.0%
10 years, per year +13.3%+9.6%+20.7% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureCNQSUNVLOSPY
Volatility, 1Y 30.9%26.7%38.8% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 32.7%28.0%37.0% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.50-0.38-0.40 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 2.311.223.24 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -38.9%-24.6%-42.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high 0.0%-10.5%-16.3% -1.2%
52-week high $55.10$79.13$459.67 $779.14
52-week low $30.59$50.16$161.94 $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.

MultipleCNQSUNVLO
P/E now vs peer median 14.3xmedian 11.9x 8.4xmedian 8.8x 8.5xmedian 8.8x
P/S now vs peer median 3.4xmedian 2.0x 0.2xmedian 0.2x 0.7xmedian 0.2x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 3.9xmedian 5.9x 7.8xmedian 7.0x 5.3xmedian 7.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 6.1xmedian 10.0x 5.8xmedian 7.5x 7.1xmedian 7.5x
P/B now vs peer median —median 1.5x 1.2xmedian 1.7x 3.5xmedian 1.7x
PEG now vs peer median 0.27median 1.36 0.34median 0.34 0.61median 0.34

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 monthsCNQSUNVLO
Revenue $33.47B $39.58B $153.33B
Gross profit $26.58B $4.72B $18.83B
Operating income $24.77B $1.89B $17.58B
Net income $8.48B $1.16B $13.52B
Free cash flow $18.68B $1.66B $15.11B
EPS (diluted) $3.83 $8.40 $45.42
Cash & equivalents $1.84B $773.00M $9.84B
Total debt $49.14B $13.31B $11.00B
Shares (diluted) 2.10B 137.74M 285.00M
Enterprise value $114.11B $4.01B $85.10B

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
MetricCNQSUNVLO
P/E 14.3x 8.4x 8.5x
P/FCF 6.1x 5.8x 7.1x
P/Operating cash flow 8.9x 4.1x 6.7x
P/S 3.4x 0.2x 0.7x
P/B – 1.2x 3.5x
P/Tangible book – 1.6x 3.5x
EV/EBITDA 3.9x 7.8x 5.3x
EV/EBIT 5.0x 11.8x 6.2x
EV/Revenue 3.7x 0.6x 0.7x
EV/FCF 6.7x 13.4x 7.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 9.7x 9.5x 6.8x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.27 0.34 0.61

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCNQSUNVLO
Revenue growth (1Y) 6.7% 83.3% 24.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -2.3% 18.8% 0.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 5.0% 108.0% 353.0%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -3.2% 54.0% 6.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) -26.5% 123.6% 799.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -15.2% 47.6% 6.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 42.1% 166.3% 792.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 14.2% 46.9% 6.6%
EPS growth (1Y) 408,311% 164.2% 838.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 53.8% 25.0% 13.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 30.3% 220.8% 229.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 5.4% 54.2% 9.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 33.0% 597.5% 308.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 13.6% 57.7% 11.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCNQSUNVLO
Gross margin 79.4% 11.9% 12.3%
EBITDA margin 94.6% 7.2% 13.5%
Operating margin 74.0% 4.8% 11.5%
Pretax margin 32.2% 3.4% 11.4%
Net margin 24.0% 2.9% 8.4%
FCF margin 55.8% 4.2% 9.9%
Operating cash flow margin 38.5% 5.9% 10.4%
Return on equity – 13.9% 45.7%
Return on assets – 3.9% 20.4%
Return on invested capital – 7.5% 33.4%
Return on capital employed – 7.6% 37.5%
Asset turnover – 1.3x 2.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.5x 2.0x 1.2x
Stock comp / revenue 1.3% 0.1% –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCNQSUNVLO
Debt / assets – 44.5% 16.2%
Debt / equity – 1.6x 0.4x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.3x 4.4x 0.1x
Debt / FCF 0.6x 8.0x 0.7x
Liabilities / assets – 72.1% 54.3%
Equity / assets – 27.9% 45.7%
Interest coverage 38.3x 2.7x 30.9x
Current ratio – 1.3x 1.7x
Quick ratio – 0.8x 1.3x
Cash ratio – 0.1x 0.5x
Altman Z-score – – 6.31

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCNQSUNVLO
Dividend yield 5.6% 5.4% 1.2%
Net buyback yield -0.3% – 6.8%
Shareholder yield 5.4% 5.4% 8.0%
Payout ratio (earnings) 42.5% 63.1% 10.4%
Payout ratio (FCF) 19.3% 44.2% 9.3%
Dividend growth (1Y) -8.3% 14.7% 0.2%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) -111.0% 26.4% -1.8%

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.

ConsensusCNQSUNVLO
Forward P/E 11.5xFY2026 7.5xFY2026 6.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $4.80FY2026 $9.44FY2026 $55.81FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +85.3%FY2026 +282.2%FY2026 +426.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -15.4% -6.9% -8.8%
Revenue, next fiscal year $38.26BFY2026 $53.96BFY2026 $174.96BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +35.4%FY2026 +114.1%FY2026 +42.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -6.6% +6.7% -21.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCNQSUNVLO
Held by institutions 71.6% 48.4% 83.6%
Institutions holding 746 303 1,968
Change in shares held, QoQ -5.0% -0.2% -1.5%
Institutions buying 387 115 950
Institutions selling 242 83 710
Buyers to sellers 1.60 1.39 1.34

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.

CNQSUNVLO
CNQ 1.00 0.39 0.45
SUN 0.39 1.00 0.37
VLO 0.45 0.37 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CNQ, SUN and VLO?

Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) is the largest by market capitalisation: Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) $117.10B, Sunoco (SUN) $9.63B, Valero Energy (VLO) $113.24B.

Which stock is cheaper, CNQ, SUN and VLO?

Sunoco (SUN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) 14.6x, Sunoco (SUN) 8.3x, Valero Energy (VLO) 8.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, Valero Energy (VLO) is cheapest (Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) 11.5x, Sunoco (SUN) 7.5x, Valero Energy (VLO) 6.9x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Sunoco (SUN) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) +6.7%, Sunoco (SUN) +83.3%, Valero Energy (VLO) +24.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) has the highest net margin (Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) 24.0%, Sunoco (SUN) 2.9%, Valero Energy (VLO) 8.4%). On return on invested capital, Valero Energy (VLO) leads (Sunoco (SUN) 7.5%, Valero Energy (VLO) 33.4%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Valero Energy (VLO) returned the most: Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) +71.3%, Sunoco (SUN) +32.7%, Valero Energy (VLO) +125.5%. Over five years, Valero Energy (VLO) compounded fastest (Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) +21.5%/yr, Sunoco (SUN) +11.8%/yr, Valero Energy (VLO) +37.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Sunoco (SUN) has the highest dividend yield: Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) -0.03%, Sunoco (SUN) 0.08%, Valero Energy (VLO) 0.01%. Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Sunoco (SUN) has been the steadiest (Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) 30.9%, Sunoco (SUN) 26.7%, Valero Energy (VLO) 38.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CNQ, SUN and VLO?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Valero Energy (VLO) leads on 6. 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.