EQT Corporation (NYSE:EQT) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of EQT Corporation (NYSE:EQT) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-eight brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twenty have given a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $68.8333.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of EQT from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of EQT in a research note on Sunday, April 26th. Stephens dropped their price objective on shares of EQT from $78.00 to $73.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of EQT from $66.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $69.00 price objective on shares of EQT in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Vicky A. Bailey sold 4,116 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.80, for a total transaction of $246,136.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Lesley Evancho sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.69, for a total transaction of $1,213,800.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 184,607 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,203,798.83. This trade represents a 9.77% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 28,992 shares of company stock worth $1,774,390 over the last quarter. 0.72% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EQT

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in EQT. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. increased its stake in shares of EQT by 213.3% in the third quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. now owns 1,029,234 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $56,021,000 after purchasing an additional 700,732 shares during the period. Sound Shore Management Inc CT increased its stake in shares of EQT by 31.8% in the third 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 during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of EQT by 228.5% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 517,651 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $27,746,000 after purchasing an additional 360,049 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp increased its stake in shares of EQT by 116.4% in the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 534,485 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $29,092,000 after purchasing an additional 287,538 shares during the period. Finally, KTF Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of EQT in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $8,885,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.81% of the company’s stock.

EQT Stock Performance

Shares of EQT stock opened at $54.91 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.66. EQT has a one year low of $48.47 and a one year high of $68.24. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $59.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $57.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.42 and a beta of 0.59.

EQT (NYSE:EQT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The oil and gas producer reported $2.33 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.32. EQT had a net margin of 31.94% and a return on equity of 9.74%. The business had revenue of $3.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.18 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that EQT will post 4.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

EQT Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 6th. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. EQT’s dividend payout ratio is 12.52%.

About EQT

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.