ONEOK (NYSE:OKE) Downgraded by US Capital Advisors to Moderate Buy

US Capital Advisors cut shares of ONEOK (NYSE:OKE) from a strong-buy rating to a moderate buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports. US Capital Advisors also issued estimates for ONEOK’s Q3 2026 earnings at $1.56 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.52 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $5.90 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.51 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.57 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.63 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.66 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $6.36 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $7.22 EPS.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on OKE. Scotiabank lowered shares of ONEOK from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $92.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Citigroup increased their price objective on ONEOK from $95.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded ONEOK from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, August 9th. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of ONEOK from $91.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of ONEOK from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, ONEOK has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $91.94.

ONEOK Price Performance

Shares of OKE stock opened at $94.69 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $90.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $88.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.74. ONEOK has a 52-week low of $64.02 and a 52-week high of $97.90.

ONEOK (NYSE:OKE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The utilities provider reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.07. ONEOK had a net margin of 9.29% and a return on equity of 16.41%. The firm had revenue of $12.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.95 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.34 earnings per share. ONEOK has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.680-5.680 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that ONEOK will post 5.82 earnings per share for the current year.

ONEOK Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 3rd. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.5%. ONEOK’s payout ratio is 73.79%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ONEOK

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in ONEOK by 137.1% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 15,278 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,534,000 after purchasing an additional 8,834 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in ONEOK by 0.8% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 17,957 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,782,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in ONEOK during the first quarter worth about $216,000. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its position in ONEOK by 14.0% during the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 3,120 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $255,000 after acquiring an additional 383 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in ONEOK by 3.9% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 130,347 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $10,640,000 after acquiring an additional 4,902 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.13% of the company’s stock.

Key ONEOK News

Here are the key news stories impacting ONEOK this week:

• Positive Sentiment: US Capital Advisors lifted earnings forecasts across multiple periods. The firm raised its Q3 2026 EPS estimate to $1.56 from $1.45 and its FY2026 forecast to $5.90 from $5.67, above the broader consensus of $5.82. It also increased FY2027 EPS to $6.36 from $6.12 and FY2028 EPS to $7.22 from $6.97. Estimates for each quarter of 2027 were also raised, signaling stronger expected operating performance. ONEOK analyst estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains favorable. ONEOK has received a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, while a Morgan Stanley analyst reportedly expects the stock to rise. These views reinforce the bullish impact of the upgraded earnings outlook. ONEOK consensus rating Morgan Stanley ONEOK outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are highlighting ONEOK’s durable growth and income profile. A recent investment article described the high-yield pipeline operator as stronger than many investors recognize, supporting continued interest in the shares. High-yield pipeline stock investors keep underestimating
• Neutral Sentiment: Market momentum is supportive but raises valuation sensitivity. OKE is trading near its 52-week high and above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages. Its beta of 0.73 may appeal to investors seeking lower volatility, although the stock’s 16.33 price-to-earnings ratio and debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34 could limit upside if earnings upgrades do not materialize.

About ONEOK

ONEOK, Inc (NYSE: OKE) is a publicly traded midstream energy company headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The company owns and operates a portfolio of natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGL) pipelines, processing facilities, fractionators and storage and terminal assets. Its operations are focused on gathering, processing, transporting, fractionating and marketing NGLs and interstate natural gas, providing critical infrastructure that connects hydrocarbon production to refineries, petrochemical plants and other end markets.

ONEOK’s asset base includes pipeline systems and processing plants that move and condition natural gas, along with infrastructure for the transportation, storage and fractionation of NGLs such as ethane, propane and butane.