QV Investors Inc. Sells 3,180 Shares of EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG)

QV Investors Inc. lowered its stake in EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 86,170 shares of the energy exploration company’s stock after selling 3,180 shares during the quarter. QV Investors Inc.’s holdings in EOG Resources were worth $10,563,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brookstone Capital Management increased its stake in EOG Resources by 105.5% in the fourth quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 3,623 shares of the energy exploration company’s stock valued at $444,000 after purchasing an additional 1,860 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC bought a new stake in shares of EOG Resources in the fourth quarter worth about $699,000. Matrix Trust Co raised its position in shares of EOG Resources by 700.6% during the fourth quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 2,778 shares of the energy exploration company’s stock worth $341,000 after purchasing an additional 2,431 shares during the period. Czech National Bank grew its position in shares of EOG Resources by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 121,951 shares of the energy exploration company’s stock valued at $14,949,000 after purchasing an additional 6,103 shares during the period. Finally, Graypoint LLC increased its stake in EOG Resources by 13.3% during the 4th quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 4,579 shares of the energy exploration company’s stock worth $561,000 after purchasing an additional 536 shares in the last quarter. 89.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at EOG Resources

In other EOG Resources news, COO Jeffrey R. Leitzell sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.89, for a total transaction of $483,560.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 42,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,162,365.67. This represents a 8.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Janet F. Clark sold 568 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.33, for a total transaction of $76,867.44. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 43,532 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,891,185.56. This trade represents a 1.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised EOG Resources from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. KeyCorp lowered their price objective on shares of EOG Resources from $157.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded EOG Resources from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $147.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on EOG Resources from $134.00 to $132.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of EOG Resources from $167.00 to $154.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $143.48.

EOG Resources Trading Up 3.3 %

Shares of NYSE:EOG traded up $4.34 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $135.75. The company had a trading volume of 2,820,366 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,132,899. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 2.31 and a quick ratio of 2.07. EOG Resources, Inc. has a one year low of $108.94 and a one year high of $139.67. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $127.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $126.70. The company has a market capitalization of $76.35 billion, a PE ratio of 10.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 1.29.

EOG Resources declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $5.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the energy exploration company to buy up to 7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

EOG Resources Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th will be given a dividend of $0.975 per share. This is a boost from EOG Resources’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $3.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.87%. EOG Resources’s payout ratio is presently 31.40%.

EOG Resources Company Profile

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.