Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. Acquires 2,773 Shares of EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG)

Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its holdings in shares of EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG) by 161.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,487 shares of the energy exploration company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,773 shares during the quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc.’s holdings in EOG Resources were worth $550,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in EOG Resources during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in shares of EOG Resources during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of EOG Resources in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. HM Payson & Co. lifted its holdings in EOG Resources by 203.7% in the 3rd quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 328 shares of the energy exploration company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Matrix Trust Co bought a new stake in EOG Resources during the third quarter worth approximately $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.91% of the company’s stock.

EOG Resources Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of EOG Resources stock opened at $137.17 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 1.29. EOG Resources, Inc. has a 12-month low of $108.94 and a 12-month high of $139.67. The company has a quick ratio of 2.07, a current ratio of 2.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $128.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $126.84.

EOG Resources announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the energy exploration company to buy up to 7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

EOG Resources Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be paid a $0.975 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $3.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.84%. This is a boost from EOG Resources’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. EOG Resources’s payout ratio is 31.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Janet F. Clark sold 568 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.33, for a total transaction of $76,867.44. Following the transaction, the director now owns 43,532 shares in the company, valued at $5,891,185.56. This represents a 1.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Jeffrey R. Leitzell sold 4,000 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 42,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,162,365.67. The trade was a 8.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EOG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of EOG Resources from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 11th. UBS Group cut 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 report on Wednesday, September 18th. Scotiabank lowered their price target on EOG Resources from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Citigroup raised their target price on EOG Resources from $127.00 to $134.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $144.00 price objective (down from $151.00) on shares of EOG Resources in a research report on Monday. Thirteen research 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $143.48.

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.