Ovintiv (NYSE:OVV) Lowered to Strong Sell Rating by Zacks Research

Ovintiv (NYSE:OVV) was downgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Ovintiv’s Q1 2026 earnings at $0.83 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.96 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $3.56 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.18 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.20 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.19 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.35 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $4.95 EPS.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on OVV. Citigroup dropped their price target on Ovintiv from $54.00 to $52.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Roth Mkm assumed coverage on Ovintiv in a report on Monday, October 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $42.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Ovintiv in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Ovintiv from $51.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $54.00 price objective on shares of Ovintiv in a report on Saturday, January 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $51.06.

Ovintiv Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:OVV opened at $44.08 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $40.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $39.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.45 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.44, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.78. Ovintiv has a one year low of $29.80 and a one year high of $45.96.

Ovintiv (NYSE:OVV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.06. Ovintiv had a net margin of 2.64% and a return on equity of 12.22%. The company had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.86 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ovintiv will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Gregory Dean Givens sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.33, for a total transaction of $2,016,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 105,867 shares in the company, valued at $4,269,616.11. This represents a 32.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.89% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ovintiv

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ovintiv by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 9,460 shares of the company’s stock worth $371,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in Ovintiv by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 14,834 shares of the company’s stock valued at $599,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS lifted its holdings in Ovintiv by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 63,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,560,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Ovintiv by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 11,518 shares of the company’s stock worth $438,000 after buying an additional 427 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP increased its stake in shares of Ovintiv by 5.2% during the third quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 9,402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $380,000 after buying an additional 464 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.81% of the company’s stock.

About Ovintiv

Ovintiv Inc is a North American energy company focused on the exploration, development and production of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. Formerly known as Encana Corporation, the company rebranded as Ovintiv in January 2020 and established its headquarters in Denver, Colorado. Ovintiv’s upstream portfolio spans multiple unconventional resource plays, reflecting a strategy centered on high-return projects and disciplined capital allocation.

The company’s core business activities include the acquisition and development of acreage in major shale basins across the United States and Canada.