Howard Capital Management Inc. Raises Stake in EOG Resources, Inc. $EOG

Key Points

• Howard Capital Management raised its stake in EOG by 221.6% in Q4, buying 9,015 shares to hold 13,084 shares worth about $1.374 million.
• EOG beat Q4 estimates with EPS $2.27 (vs. $2.20) and revenue of $5.64 billion, and declared a quarterly dividend of $1.02 (annualized $4.08, ~3.0% yield; ex-dividend Apr 16).
• Company insiders have been selling recently (CFO and COO sold 4,161 and 5,698 shares respectively; 18,230 shares sold in the last 90 days, ~$2.52M), while analysts carry a consensus Hold rating with an average price target of $148.11.

Howard Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG - Free Report) by 221.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,084 shares of the energy exploration company's stock after buying an additional 9,015 shares during the quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in EOG Resources were worth $1,374,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hemington Wealth Management grew its holdings in EOG Resources by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 1,383 shares of the energy exploration company's stock valued at $155,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Bollard Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of EOG Resources by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Bollard Group LLC now owns 11,747 shares of the energy exploration company's stock valued at $1,317,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. apricus wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of EOG Resources by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. apricus wealth LLC now owns 2,002 shares of the energy exploration company's stock valued at $224,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of EOG Resources by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 6,234 shares of the energy exploration company's stock valued at $699,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hardy Reed LLC lifted its stake in shares of EOG Resources by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Hardy Reed LLC now owns 2,267 shares of the energy exploration company's stock valued at $254,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. 89.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

EOG Resources Price Performance

EOG opened at $136.26 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $130.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $115.52. EOG Resources, Inc. has a 12-month low of $101.59 and a 12-month high of $151.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market cap of $73.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.96, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.32.

EOG Resources (NYSE:EOG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The energy exploration company reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.07. EOG Resources had a return on equity of 18.67% and a net margin of 22.00%.The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.36 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.74 EPS. EOG Resources's revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that EOG Resources, Inc. will post 11.47 earnings per share for the current year.

EOG Resources Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.02 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 16th. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. EOG Resources's dividend payout ratio is 44.79%.

Insider Activity

In other EOG Resources news, CFO Ann D. Janssen sold 4,161 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.04, for a total transaction of $582,706.44. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 100,246 shares in the company, valued at $14,038,449.84. This represents a 3.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, COO Jeffrey R. Leitzell sold 5,698 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.32, for a total value of $856,523.36. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 88,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,234,924.40. This trade represents a 6.08% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 18,230 shares of company stock worth $2,522,568. 0.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Raymond James Financial upped their price target on EOG Resources from $157.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on EOG Resources from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $110.00 price target on shares of EOG Resources in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Truist Financial assumed coverage on EOG Resources in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $146.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their price target on EOG Resources from $151.00 to $144.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and eighteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $148.11.

About EOG Resources

EOG Resources, Inc NYSE: EOG is an independent exploration and production company headquartered in Houston, Texas. Tracing its corporate origins to Enron Oil & Gas Company in the late 1990s, the company established itself as a stand‑alone E&P operator and has grown into one of the largest U.S. upstream producers. EOG focuses on the exploration, development and production of crude oil, condensate, natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs).

As an upstream-focused company, EOG's core activities include geologic and geophysical exploration, drilling and completion of wells, reservoir development, and the marketing of hydrocarbon production.

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