ONE Gas (NYSE:OGS) Reaches New 12-Month High – What’s Next?

Shares of ONE Gas, Inc. (NYSE:OGS) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $86.77 and last traded at $85.79, with a volume of 428878 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $86.04.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of ONE Gas from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of ONE Gas from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on ONE Gas from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. UBS Group lowered their price target on ONE Gas from $86.00 to $83.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $73.00 price target on shares of ONE Gas in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $85.57.

ONE Gas Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.47. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $79.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $78.92. The company has a market capitalization of $5.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.81.

ONE Gas Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be paid a $0.68 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 20th. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. This is a boost from ONE Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. ONE Gas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.47%.

Institutional Trading of ONE Gas

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of ONE Gas by 286.7% in the fourth quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 29,051 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,244,000 after acquiring an additional 21,538 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in ONE Gas by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 121,620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,395,000 after purchasing an additional 14,913 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in ONE Gas by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 19,448 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,502,000 after purchasing an additional 816 shares in the last quarter. Jain Global LLC acquired a new position in ONE Gas in the fourth quarter worth $552,000. Finally, Laird Norton Wetherby Trust Company LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ONE Gas in the fourth quarter valued at $579,000. 88.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About ONE Gas

ONE Gas, Inc is a publicly traded natural gas utility company focused on the regulated distribution of natural gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the company owns and operates an integrated system of transmission and distribution pipelines, storage facilities and compressor stations designed to deliver safe, reliable energy to end users. Its operations are governed by state utility commissions, which set rates and service standards in the markets the company serves.

The company’s service territory spans three states: Oklahoma, Kansas and the Texas Panhandle.