EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG) Shares Acquired by ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its holdings in EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG) by 7.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 44,841 shares of the energy exploration company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,205 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in EOG Resources were worth $5,497,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Insight Inv LLC grew its position in shares of EOG Resources by 0.8% in the third quarter. Insight Inv LLC now owns 9,385 shares of the energy exploration company’s stock valued at $1,154,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Cape ANN Savings Bank grew its holdings in EOG Resources by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Cape ANN Savings Bank now owns 8,679 shares of the energy exploration company’s stock valued at $1,067,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC increased its position in EOG Resources by 3.6% during the third quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC now owns 2,380 shares of the energy exploration company’s stock worth $293,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton raised its holdings in shares of EOG Resources by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 2,921 shares of the energy exploration company’s stock worth $358,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of EOG Resources by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 928 shares of the energy exploration company’s stock valued at $114,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. 89.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

EOG Resources Stock Performance

NYSE:EOG opened at $136.70 on Tuesday. EOG Resources, Inc. has a twelve month low of $108.94 and a twelve month high of $139.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.01, a PEG ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a current ratio of 2.31, a quick ratio of 2.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $128.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $127.07.

EOG Resources announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $5.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the energy exploration company to reacquire up to 7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be given a $0.975 dividend. This is an increase 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 2.85%. EOG Resources’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.40%.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Jeffrey R. Leitzell sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 31st. The shares were 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Janet F. Clark sold 568 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now directly owns 43,532 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,891,185.56. The trade was a 1.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on EOG. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of EOG Resources from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $147.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $144.00 price objective (down previously from $151.00) on shares of EOG Resources in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of EOG Resources from $127.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Benchmark reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of EOG Resources in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded EOG Resources from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 11th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, EOG Resources presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $143.48.

EOG Resources 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.