EQT Corporation (NYSE:EQT) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts give EQT an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from 28 firms (20 buy, 6 hold, 2 strong buy) with a 1‑year average price target of $68.75, and several brokers recently raised targets to the $70–$76 range.
• Company insiders sold a total of 61,158 shares valued at about $3.74 million in the past three months, leaving insiders with 0.72% ownership of the stock.
• EQT beat quarterly EPS estimates with $2.33 (vs. $2.01 consensus) on $3.14 billion revenue and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.165 (annualized yield ~1.1%).

EQT Corporation (NYSE:EQT - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the twenty-eight ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twenty have assigned a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $68.75.

EQT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of EQT in a report on Sunday. Evercore raised their price target on shares of EQT from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Roth Mkm reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of EQT in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of EQT from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of EQT from $68.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 27th.

Insider Buying and Selling at EQT

In other news, insider Lesley Evancho sold 20,000 shares of EQT stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.69, for a total transaction of $1,213,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 184,607 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,203,798.83. The trade was a 9.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Sarah Fenton sold 4,876 shares of EQT stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.49, for a total transaction of $314,453.24. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 52,953 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,414,938.97. This represents a 8.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 61,158 shares of company stock valued at $3,742,983 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.72% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of EQT

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of EQT during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Aventura Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of EQT during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of EQT by 95.6% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 573 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 280 shares during the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of EQT during the 4th quarter worth $49,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of EQT by 35.4% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 773 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. 90.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

EQT Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of EQT opened at $58.61 on Tuesday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $61.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $57.53. EQT has a twelve month low of $48.47 and a twelve month high of $68.24. The stock has a market cap of $36.66 billion, a PE ratio of 11.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

EQT (NYSE:EQT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The oil and gas producer reported $2.33 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $3.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.14 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.18 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that EQT will post 4.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

EQT Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 6th will be issued a $0.165 dividend. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 6th. EQT's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.52%.

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.

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