Wall Street Zen Upgrades W&T Offshore (NYSE:WTI) to "Buy"

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded W&T Offshore from hold to buy, even though the stock’s overall analyst consensus remains Hold after mixed ratings from other firms.
• The company recently missed Q1 EPS estimates, reporting a loss of $0.15 per share versus expectations for a profit, though revenue came in above estimates at $150.02 million.
• W&T Offshore also reaffirmed a $0.01 quarterly dividend and saw increased institutional buying, with hedge funds and other investors holding 42.88% of the stock.

W&T Offshore (NYSE:WTI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

WTI has been the subject of several other reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of W&T Offshore from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of W&T Offshore in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, William Blair initiated coverage on shares of W&T Offshore in a research note on Friday, April 17th. They set an "outperform" rating for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W&T Offshore currently has an average rating of "Hold".

W&T Offshore Stock Down 2.2%

W&T Offshore stock opened at $3.74 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $555.69 million, a PE ratio of -3.93 and a beta of 0.29. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $3.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $2.40. W&T Offshore has a twelve month low of $1.34 and a twelve month high of $4.49.

W&T Offshore (NYSE:WTI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The oil and gas company reported ($0.15) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.02 by ($0.17). The business had revenue of $150.02 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $138.41 million. As a group, equities analysts expect that W&T Offshore will post -0.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W&T Offshore

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. raised its stake in shares of W&T Offshore by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 1,502,907 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $2,450,000 after acquiring an additional 206,810 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of W&T Offshore by 447.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 257,635 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $469,000 after acquiring an additional 210,564 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG raised its stake in shares of W&T Offshore by 381.1% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 2,400,024 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $3,912,000 after acquiring an additional 1,901,213 shares during the last quarter. Octavia Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in W&T Offshore by 61.1% in the fourth quarter. Octavia Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 50,750 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 19,250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in W&T Offshore by 81.7% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 34,165 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 15,360 shares in the last quarter. 42.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting W&T Offshore

Here are the key news stories impacting W&T Offshore this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: W&T Offshore reported Q1 2026 results and reiterated a small quarterly dividend of $0.01 per share, signaling continued cash returns to shareholders. W&T Offshore Announces First Quarter 2026 Results and Declares Dividend for Second Quarter of 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s earnings call transcript is available for investors looking for management commentary on production, pricing, and outlook after the quarter. W&T Offshore, Inc. (WTI) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: W&T Offshore missed Q1 EPS estimates as lower commodity price realizations reduced profitability, even though revenue rose 16% year over year on stronger volumes and lower lease operating expenses. W&T Offshore Q1 Earnings Miss on Lower Commodity Price Realizations
• Negative Sentiment: The broader oil market also faces a new overhang after a Reuters report said Diamondback Energy is betting on a wider WTI-Brent spread if U.S. oil export restrictions became a concern, highlighting policy risk that could pressure U.S. crude pricing sentiment. Diamondback bets on wider WTI-Brent gap amid US export ban concerns

W&T Offshore Company Profile

W&T Offshore, Inc is an independent oil and gas exploration and production company focused primarily on offshore operations in the Gulf of Mexico. The company acquires, develops and produces crude oil and natural gas reserves, operating a portfolio of producing properties that encompasses both shallow-water and deepwater assets. W&T Offshore leverages its technical expertise and asset management capabilities to optimize field development and production efficiency across its portfolio.

Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Covington, Louisiana, W&T Offshore has built a track record of disciplined growth through strategic acquisitions and targeted exploration activities.

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