RE:2016 Fourth Quarter & Year End Earnings Results,Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., Canada’s largest independent petroleum producer, on Thursday reported a quarterly profit that blew past analysts’ expectations, driven by higher realized prices from North America and low costs. Net income jumped more than fourfold to $566-million. On an adjusted basis it posted a profit of $439-million in the quarter ended Dec. 31, compared with a loss of $49-million a year earlier. On a per share basis, its adjusted profit of 40 cents easily beat the 12 cents analysts on average were expecting, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. The company also raised its quarterly dividend by 10 per cent.