EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the twenty-one ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $144.95.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on EOG. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $144.00 target price (down previously from $151.00) on shares of EOG Resources in a report on Monday, January 13th. Citigroup lowered their price target on EOG Resources from $134.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 17th. StockNews.com lowered shares of EOG Resources from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of EOG Resources from $146.00 to $144.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised EOG Resources from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $150.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th.

EOG Resources Price Performance

EOG stock opened at $129.12 on Friday. EOG Resources has a 1 year low of $115.78 and a 1 year high of $139.67. The firm has a market cap of $71.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 2.07 and a current ratio of 2.31. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $128.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $127.61.

EOG Resources (NYSE:EOG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 28th. The energy exploration company reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.55 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $5.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.96 billion. EOG Resources had a net margin of 29.18% and a return on equity of 23.77%. On average, equities analysts predict that EOG Resources will post 11.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

EOG Resources Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 16th will be given a $0.975 dividend. This represents a $3.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 16th. EOG Resources’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.73%.

Insider Activity at EOG Resources

In related news, COO Jeffrey R. Leitzell sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.89, for a total value of $483,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 42,703 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,162,365.67. This represents a 8.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EOG Resources

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in EOG Resources during the third quarter worth about $762,000. Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its holdings in EOG Resources by 3.7% in the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 71,816 shares of the energy exploration company’s stock valued at $8,828,000 after purchasing an additional 2,583 shares during the last quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc raised its position in shares of EOG Resources by 62.2% in the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 11,313 shares of the energy exploration company’s stock valued at $1,391,000 after acquiring an additional 4,338 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in EOG Resources by 5.5% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 219,444 shares of the energy exploration company’s stock worth $26,976,000 after purchasing an additional 11,425 shares during the period. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in EOG Resources during the 3rd quarter worth $10,752,000. 89.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About EOG Resources

EOG Resources, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, explores for, develops, produces, and markets crude oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas primarily in producing basins in the United States, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and internationally. The company was formerly known as Enron Oil & Gas Company.