Should I Buy CNR? CNR 2026 Analysis

Should You Buy Core Natural Resources Inc (CNR) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Conclusion

Hold

Latest Price

92.240

1 Day change

5.95%

52 Week Range

103.500

Analysis Updated At

2026/02/04

Should I buy Analysis is updated weekly. For real time "Should I Buy" analysis, please sign up to get free answers.

Not a good buy right now for an impatient buyer: technical momentum is still bearish (MACD histogram negative and worsening) and fundamentals recently deteriorated sharply (EPS and margin collapse).
Options positioning is bullish (call-heavy), but high IV (81st percentile) suggests the market is pricing a big move into the Feb-12 earnings event—more uncertainty than edge.
Hedge funds are selling aggressively (+188% QoQ selling), which is a meaningful near-term headwind.
Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals
- AI Stock Picker: no signal on given stock today.
- SwingMax: No signal on given stock recently.
Bottom line: Hold/Avoid new buying today; the setup looks more like a potential oversold bounce attempt than a clean, high-conviction entry.

Technical Analysis

Trend/Momentum: MACD histogram at -1.23 and negatively expanding → downside momentum still building.
RSI(6) 32.08 → leaning oversold (bounce potential), but not a confirmed reversal signal.
Moving averages: converging → suggests the stock is in a transition zone, but momentum currently favors bears.
Key levels: Pivot 96.34 (price 93.03 below pivot = bearish). Support 91.01 then 87.72; Resistance 101.68 then 104.97.
Near-term pattern stats (similar candlesticks): ~+1.06% next day, +1.91% next week, +7.46% next month (moderate upside probabilities, but not strong enough to override current bearish momentum).

Options Data

Bullish

Open Interest Put-Call Ratio

Bullish

Option Volume Put-Call Ratio

Sentiment: Put/Call ratios are very low (OI PCR 0.27, Volume PCR 0.35) → options market is positioned bullishly (call-skew).
Activity: Today’s volume 84 vs 30D average (today/avg 15.79) and open interest elevated (today vs OI avg 108.21) → positioning is active.
Volatility: IV(30d) 52.04 vs HV 63.04; IV percentile 81.13 → options are relatively expensive vs typical levels, consistent with an upcoming catalyst.
Interpretation: Bullish positioning, but elevated IV into earnings often means good news is already partially priced, and post-event moves can punish late buyers.

Technical Summary

Sell

Buy

Positive Catalysts

- Upcoming event: Q4 2025 results / investor call on 2026-02-12 (pre-market) can act as a major catalyst.
- Technical: RSI near oversold and price sitting near first support (~91) can fuel a short-term rebound if selling pressure fades.
- Options sentiment: Strong call-skew suggests traders are leaning toward upside scenarios.

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

- Momentum remains bearish (MACD worsening) and price is below the pivot (96.34), increasing risk of a support breakdown.
- Hedge funds: Selling increased 188.15% QoQ → institutional flow is currently unfavorable.
- Event risk: High IV percentile (81%) indicates the market expects a big move around earnings; direction is uncertain and can be unforgiving for impatient entries.
- Profitability shock in latest reported quarter (margin/EPS down sharply) increases the chance of negative guidance reactions.

Financial Performance

Latest quarter provided: 2025/Q3
Revenue: $1.002B, +81.15% YoY (strong top-line growth).
Net income: $31.6M, -66.96% YoY (major deterioration).
EPS: 0.61, -81.06% YoY (sharp decline).
Gross margin: 2.4%, -90.88% YoY (severe compression).
Takeaway: Growth is coming with heavy profitability pressure—until margins stabilize, the stock’s risk/reward is not attractive for a “buy-now” decision.

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

The provided analyst notes appear not directly related to CNR (they reference other tickers/companies), so there’s no reliable, stock-specific trend in rating/price-target changes available from the data here.
Wall Street pros/cons view (based on available evidence):
- Pros: Strong revenue growth; upcoming earnings event can re-rate the stock if margins rebound.
- Cons: Recent quarter shows extreme margin and EPS compression; institutional (hedge fund) selling suggests skepticism.

5 Analyst Rating

Wall Street analysts forecast CNR stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for CNR is 117.4 USD with a low forecast of 100 USD and a high forecast of 158 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.

5 Buy

0 Hold

0 Sell

Strong Buy

Current: 87.060

Low

100

Averages

117.4

High

158

Current: 87.060

Low

100

Averages

117.4

High

158

B. Riley

Rohit Seth

Neutral

initiated

$117

AI Analysis

2026-01-16

Reason

B. Riley

Rohit Seth

Price Target

$117

AI Analysis

2026-01-16

initiated

Neutral

Reason

B. Riley analyst Rohit Seth last night initiated coverage of Construction Partners with a Neutral rating and $117 price target. Construction Partners is a "best-in-class roll-up," executing a proven playbook in the "structurally attractive" hot-mix asphalt industry, the analyst tells investors in a research note. However, the firm says at $117, the stock already embeds full achievement of the company's 2030 targets.

Wells Fargo

Joseph O'Dea

Overweight

maintain

$25 -> $30

2026-01-07

Reason

Wells Fargo

Joseph O'Dea

Price Target

$25 -> $30

2026-01-07

maintain

Overweight

Reason

Wells Fargo analyst Joseph O'Dea raised the firm's price target on Centuri to $30 from $25 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares. Discussing the Electrical Equipment & Multi-Industry space, the firm says it expects largely underwhelming initial 2026 guidance ranges in a prudent approach to expectation setting.

Unlock Full Analyst Thesis， Get the complete breakdown of rating reason for CNR

Unlock Now

CNR Should I Buy

CNR Should I Buy

Should You Buy Core Natural Resources Inc (CNR) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Technical Analysis

Options Data

Technical Summary

Positive Catalysts

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Financial Performance

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

People Also Watch