Ceredex Value Advisors LLC Invests $22.21 Million in EQT Corporation $EQT

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in EQT Corporation (NYSE:EQT) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 417,700 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $22,209,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of EQT. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in EQT during the 2nd quarter worth $3,204,125,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of EQT in the second quarter valued at about $512,148,000. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in shares of EQT in the second quarter valued at about $119,461,000. Diamond Hill Capital Management LLC Investment Advisor acquired a new position in shares of EQT during the second quarter worth about $110,177,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in EQT during the second quarter worth about $78,630,000. 90.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at EQT

In related news, CEO Toby Z. Rice sold 175,328 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.03, for a total value of $9,648,299.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,157,865 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $118,747,310.95. This trade represents a 7.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 274,042 shares of company stock valued at $15,005,076. Corporate insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on EQT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of EQT in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on EQT from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. UBS Group reduced their price target on EQT from $74.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings downgraded EQT from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on EQT from $76.00 to $70.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $68.64.

Key Headlines Impacting EQT

Here are the key news stories impacting EQT this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley maintains an overweight rating: The firm lowered its price target modestly from $68 to $67, still implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. The target reduction is mildly negative, but the continued overweight rating supports the broader bullish analyst consensus. Benzinga report
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend provides support: EQT recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.165 per share, or $0.66 annualized, representing an approximately 1.2% yield. Its low payout ratio of about 15% suggests room to maintain the distribution, assuming natural-gas cash flow remains healthy. EQT stock information
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst expectations remain favorable but have eased: EQT carries a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target near $68.48, while several firms have recently trimmed their targets. The stock remains below its 200-day moving average, indicating that investors are still cautious about the natural-gas outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: Unrelated EQT-branded transactions: EQT Real Estate reportedly agreed to acquire a $1.2 billion Southern California industrial portfolio, while EQT AB acquired a majority stake in Australia’s Melbourne Storm and is considering asset sales in Vietnam. These transactions involve separate businesses and have no direct financial impact on EQT Corporation (NYSE: EQT). Rexford portfolio report
• Negative Sentiment: Recent earnings were below expectations: EQT’s latest quarterly EPS came in at $0.39 versus the $0.41 consensus, revenue declined 29.2% year over year to $1.68 billion, and revenue missed estimates. The results highlight sensitivity to weaker natural-gas prices and demand.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO share sale adds a modest overhang: CEO Toby Rice sold 175,328 shares worth approximately $9.65 million, reducing his direct stake by 7.51%. Because the transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, it is less concerning than discretionary selling but may still weigh on sentiment. SEC insider filing

EQT Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE EQT opened at $53.92 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.51 and a beta of 0.58. EQT Corporation has a 52 week low of $47.94 and a 52 week high of $68.24. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $51.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $56.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

EQT (NYSE:EQT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.41 by ($0.02). EQT had a return on equity of 9.31% and a net margin of 28.44%.The company had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.76 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.45 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 29.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that EQT Corporation will post 4.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

EQT Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 5th will be issued a $0.165 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 5th. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. EQT’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.31%.

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.