EQT Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:EQT)

EQT Co. (NYSE:EQT - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading on Monday. Stock investors acquired 41,320 put options on the stock. This is an increase of 113% compared to the typical daily volume of 19,368 put options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on EQT shares. Stephens reduced their target price on shares of EQT from $59.00 to $57.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "reduce" rating on shares of EQT in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup increased their target price on EQT from $51.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of EQT from $57.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $49.00 target price on shares of EQT in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $55.39.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EQT

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in EQT by 22.7% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,042 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in EQT by 26.6% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 976 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Generali Investments Management Co LLC increased its stake in EQT by 14.1% in the 1st quarter. Generali Investments Management Co LLC now owns 1,711 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $91,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of EQT by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,783 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its holdings in shares of EQT by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,731 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $218,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.81% of the company's stock.

EQT Stock Performance

Shares of EQT stock traded up $0.90 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $51.14. 9,328,653 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,808,212. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $50.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $47.16. The company has a market cap of $30.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 127.85, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.35. EQT has a 12-month low of $30.02 and a 12-month high of $56.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.51.

EQT (NYSE:EQT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The oil and gas producer reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $2.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.16 billion. EQT had a net margin of 4.37% and a return on equity of 4.35%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that EQT will post 3.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

EQT Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 7th will be issued a $0.1575 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 7th. This represents a $0.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.23%. EQT's dividend payout ratio is presently 110.53%.

About EQT

EQT Corporation operates as a natural gas production company in the United States. The company sells natural gas and natural gas liquids to marketers, utilities, and industrial customers through pipelines located in the Appalachian Basin. It also offers marketing services and contractual pipeline capacity management services.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.