EQT Corporation (NYSE:EQT) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of EQT Corporation (NYSE:EQT) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-five analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $65.1304.

EQT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price objective on EQT from $67.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Barclays decreased their price target on EQT from $68.00 to $67.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of EQT from $60.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of EQT in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of EQT from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 15th.

EQT Stock Up 0.1%

EQT stock opened at $53.96 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.58. EQT has a one year low of $43.57 and a one year high of $62.23. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $56.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $54.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.48, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 0.62.

EQT (NYSE:EQT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.02. EQT had a net margin of 22.59% and a return on equity of 6.88%. The firm had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.78 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.12 EPS. EQT’s revenue was up 52.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that EQT will post 3.27 earnings per share for the current year.

EQT Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 5th were issued a dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 5th. This is a positive change from EQT’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. EQT’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.60%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other EQT news, EVP J.E.B. Bolen sold 1,422 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.79, for a total value of $75,067.38. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 69,486 shares in the company, valued at $3,668,165.94. This represents a 2.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.65% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of EQT

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EQT. Amundi boosted its stake in EQT by 0.8% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 2,700,814 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $140,685,000 after buying an additional 21,395 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in EQT by 25.1% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 2,525,776 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $134,952,000 after acquiring an additional 506,970 shares in the last quarter. Sound Shore Management Inc CT boosted its position in shares of EQT by 31.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Shore Management Inc CT now owns 1,526,821 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $83,105,000 after purchasing an additional 368,748 shares in the last quarter. Sound Shore Management Inc CT bought a new position in shares of EQT during the 2nd quarter valued at about $67,539,000. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of EQT by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 1,108,307 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $60,325,000 after purchasing an additional 49,714 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.81% of the company’s stock.

EQT Company Profile

EQT Corporation (NYSE: EQT) is a U.S.-based energy company focused on the exploration, development and production of natural gas. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the company concentrates its upstream operations in the Appalachian Basin, producing from major shale formations including the Marcellus and Utica. EQT’s primary product is natural gas, with production activities supported by associated liquids and conventional gas assets where applicable.

In addition to drilling and well development, EQT operates and coordinates the infrastructure and commercial activities necessary to bring gas to market.