Friday's ETF Movers: IXC, SPXL
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Dec 27 2024
0mins
Should l Buy EQT?
Source: NASDAQ.COM
Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bull 3X ETF Performance: The Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bull 3X ETF is down approximately 3.5% in Friday afternoon trading, underperforming other ETFs.
Weakest Components: Notable declines among its components include Super Micro Computer, which fell by about 5.1%, and Vistra, which decreased by around 4.3%.
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Analyst Views on EQT
Wall Street analysts forecast EQT stock price to rise
19 Analyst Rating
13 Buy
6 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 57.180
Low
50.00
Averages
65.18
High
76.00
Current: 57.180
Low
50.00
Averages
65.18
High
76.00
About EQT
EQT Corporation is a premier, vertically integrated American natural gas company with production and midstream operations focused on the Appalachian Basin. It has operations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. It owns or leases approximately 610,000 net acres in Pennsylvania. Most of the acreage is located in the southwestern region of the state, with the majority located in Greene and Washington Counties. It is developing the Marcellus Shale and Upper Devonian Shale in this area. It also owns or leases 405,000 net acres in West Virginia. Most of the acreage is located in the northwestern region of the state, with the majority located in Doddridge, Marion, Tyler and Wetzel Counties. It owns or leases 65,000 net acres in eastern Ohio and is developing the Utica Shale in Belmont County. It operates Utica wells throughout its Ohio acreage. The Marcellus Shale lies nearly a mile or more beneath the surface throughout much of Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Key Companies to Monitor This Week: PCE, Walmart, Palo Alto, Analog Devices, Deere, and Others
- Market Performance: Equities experienced a decline last week, with all three major indexes falling by at least 1.2%.
- Economic Indicators: This downturn occurred despite a better-than-expected jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and a relatively stable inflation report.
See More
AI Turbulence Impacts Market Performance
- Increased Market Volatility: Last week, stocks in software, real estate, financial services, and logistics faced selling pressure due to concerns over AI-related disruptions, with the Nasdaq Composite falling 0.2% and a weekly loss of 2.1%, indicating market sensitivity to AI impacts.
- Consumer Spending Data Focus: This week's highlight will be the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) report on Friday, which will provide insights into consumer spending in December and inflation trends, especially following last week's unexpected slowdown in the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
- Corporate Earnings in Spotlight: Walmart (WMT) is set to release its fourth-quarter earnings on Thursday, marking the first report under new CEO John Furner, making it a key indicator of consumer spending that the market is eagerly anticipating.
- Ongoing AI Impact: As AI tools' potential effects intensify across various sectors, software stocks like Salesforce (CRM) and ServiceNow (NOW) have seen significant declines, reflecting the market's heightened vigilance regarding AI disruptions, necessitating close monitoring of future industry developments.
See More
Powell's Tenure Nears End, Market Focuses on His Legacy
- Monetary Policy Balance: As Fed Chair Powell's tenure approaches its end, the market is keenly focused on his performance in balancing maximum employment and stable prices, especially with the upcoming release of the latest meeting minutes, marking one of his final meetings in office.
- Interest Rate Challenges: During Powell's leadership, the Fed has navigated emergency interventions and an aggressive rate-hiking cycle, with the benchmark rate rising from near zero to over 5%; despite initially viewing inflation as 'transitory,' achieving a 'soft landing' for the economy will be a key part of his legacy.
- Market Reaction Expectations: Investors are optimistic about the upcoming personal consumption expenditure data, although the cooler-than-expected CPI could impact the Fed's interest rate outlook, with markets currently pricing in only two quarter-point cuts for the year.
- Industry Dynamics Observation: As concerns over AI disruption grow, stocks in software, finance, and real estate have seen declines, prompting investors to search for the next potentially affected sectors, with Walmart and Deere's upcoming earnings reports likely to be focal points for market attention.
See More
Financial Sector Underperforms with Notable Losses
- Financial Companies Underperform: As of midday Tuesday, financial companies are down 0.6%, with Standard and Poor's Global Inc (SPGI) and Raymond James Financial Inc (RJF) showing losses of 9.1% and 8.7%, respectively, indicating significant weakness in the sector that may affect investor confidence.
- ETF Performance Analysis: The Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF), which tracks the financial sector, is down 1.4% on the day and 2.85% year-to-date, reflecting the overall malaise in the financial market and potentially leading to capital outflows from the sector.
- Energy Sector Stability: In contrast to the financial sector, the energy sector is only down 0.5%, with Halliburton Company (HAL) up 19.83% year-to-date, demonstrating resilience in the energy industry that may attract investors to shift focus.
- Impact of Holdings Proportions: SPGI and RJF together account for approximately 2.0% of XLF's underlying holdings, while HAL and EQT make up 3.9% of XLE's underlying holdings, indicating that the performance of these companies directly influences the overall performance of their respective ETFs.
See More
EQT Corporation Declares Quarterly Cash Dividend
- Quarterly Cash Dividend: EQT Corporation's Board of Directors has declared a cash dividend of $0.165 per share, payable on March 2, 2026, to shareholders of record as of February 17, 2026, demonstrating the company's ongoing commitment to shareholder returns.
- Shareholder Return Strategy: This dividend reflects EQT's strong performance in maintaining stable cash flow and profitability, aimed at boosting investor confidence and attracting more long-term investors, thereby solidifying its market position in the natural gas industry.
- Commitment to Operational Efficiency: EQT is dedicated to responsibly developing natural gas in the Appalachian Basin, continuously improving production efficiency through a culture that prioritizes technology and sustainability, ensuring reliable and low-cost energy supply to meet market demands.
- Environmental Responsibility: The company emphasizes its commitment to the safety of employees, contractors, and communities while striving to reduce its overall environmental footprint, showcasing its social responsibility and sustainable development strategy in energy production.
See More
EQT Options Contract Analysis and Investment Opportunities
- Put Option Appeal: The current bid for the $51.00 put option is 99 cents, and if an investor sells this contract, they commit to buying shares at $51.00, effectively lowering their cost basis to $50.01, which is about an 8% discount from the current price of $55.16, making it attractive for those interested in EQT stock.
- Yield Potential Analysis: Should the put option expire worthless, it would yield a 1.94% return on the cash commitment, or an annualized return of 14.18%, referred to as YieldBoost, highlighting the potential attractiveness of this investment strategy.
- Call Option Returns: The $60.00 call option has a current bid of 87 cents, and if an investor buys EQT shares at $55.16 and sells this contract, they could achieve a total return of 10.35% if the stock is called away at expiration, showcasing the potential profitability of this strategy.
- Risk and Reward Trade-off: The $60.00 call option has a 64% chance of expiring worthless, in which case the investor retains both the shares and the premium collected, with an annualized return of 11.52%, further emphasizing the investment flexibility when EQT stock appreciates.
See More
Key Companies to Monitor This Week: PCE, Walmart, Palo Alto, Analog Devices, Deere, and Others
- Market Performance: Equities experienced a decline last week, with all three major indexes falling by at least 1.2%.
- Economic Indicators: This downturn occurred despite a better-than-expected jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and a relatively stable inflation report.
See More
AI Turbulence Impacts Market Performance
- Increased Market Volatility: Last week, stocks in software, real estate, financial services, and logistics faced selling pressure due to concerns over AI-related disruptions, with the Nasdaq Composite falling 0.2% and a weekly loss of 2.1%, indicating market sensitivity to AI impacts.
- Consumer Spending Data Focus: This week's highlight will be the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) report on Friday, which will provide insights into consumer spending in December and inflation trends, especially following last week's unexpected slowdown in the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
- Corporate Earnings in Spotlight: Walmart (WMT) is set to release its fourth-quarter earnings on Thursday, marking the first report under new CEO John Furner, making it a key indicator of consumer spending that the market is eagerly anticipating.
- Ongoing AI Impact: As AI tools' potential effects intensify across various sectors, software stocks like Salesforce (CRM) and ServiceNow (NOW) have seen significant declines, reflecting the market's heightened vigilance regarding AI disruptions, necessitating close monitoring of future industry developments.
See More
Powell's Tenure Nears End, Market Focuses on His Legacy
- Monetary Policy Balance: As Fed Chair Powell's tenure approaches its end, the market is keenly focused on his performance in balancing maximum employment and stable prices, especially with the upcoming release of the latest meeting minutes, marking one of his final meetings in office.
- Interest Rate Challenges: During Powell's leadership, the Fed has navigated emergency interventions and an aggressive rate-hiking cycle, with the benchmark rate rising from near zero to over 5%; despite initially viewing inflation as 'transitory,' achieving a 'soft landing' for the economy will be a key part of his legacy.
- Market Reaction Expectations: Investors are optimistic about the upcoming personal consumption expenditure data, although the cooler-than-expected CPI could impact the Fed's interest rate outlook, with markets currently pricing in only two quarter-point cuts for the year.
- Industry Dynamics Observation: As concerns over AI disruption grow, stocks in software, finance, and real estate have seen declines, prompting investors to search for the next potentially affected sectors, with Walmart and Deere's upcoming earnings reports likely to be focal points for market attention.
See More
Financial Sector Underperforms with Notable Losses
- Financial Companies Underperform: As of midday Tuesday, financial companies are down 0.6%, with Standard and Poor's Global Inc (SPGI) and Raymond James Financial Inc (RJF) showing losses of 9.1% and 8.7%, respectively, indicating significant weakness in the sector that may affect investor confidence.
- ETF Performance Analysis: The Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF), which tracks the financial sector, is down 1.4% on the day and 2.85% year-to-date, reflecting the overall malaise in the financial market and potentially leading to capital outflows from the sector.
- Energy Sector Stability: In contrast to the financial sector, the energy sector is only down 0.5%, with Halliburton Company (HAL) up 19.83% year-to-date, demonstrating resilience in the energy industry that may attract investors to shift focus.
- Impact of Holdings Proportions: SPGI and RJF together account for approximately 2.0% of XLF's underlying holdings, while HAL and EQT make up 3.9% of XLE's underlying holdings, indicating that the performance of these companies directly influences the overall performance of their respective ETFs.
See More
EQT Corporation Declares Quarterly Cash Dividend
- Quarterly Cash Dividend: EQT Corporation's Board of Directors has declared a cash dividend of $0.165 per share, payable on March 2, 2026, to shareholders of record as of February 17, 2026, demonstrating the company's ongoing commitment to shareholder returns.
- Shareholder Return Strategy: This dividend reflects EQT's strong performance in maintaining stable cash flow and profitability, aimed at boosting investor confidence and attracting more long-term investors, thereby solidifying its market position in the natural gas industry.
- Commitment to Operational Efficiency: EQT is dedicated to responsibly developing natural gas in the Appalachian Basin, continuously improving production efficiency through a culture that prioritizes technology and sustainability, ensuring reliable and low-cost energy supply to meet market demands.
- Environmental Responsibility: The company emphasizes its commitment to the safety of employees, contractors, and communities while striving to reduce its overall environmental footprint, showcasing its social responsibility and sustainable development strategy in energy production.
See More
EQT Options Contract Analysis and Investment Opportunities
- Put Option Appeal: The current bid for the $51.00 put option is 99 cents, and if an investor sells this contract, they commit to buying shares at $51.00, effectively lowering their cost basis to $50.01, which is about an 8% discount from the current price of $55.16, making it attractive for those interested in EQT stock.
- Yield Potential Analysis: Should the put option expire worthless, it would yield a 1.94% return on the cash commitment, or an annualized return of 14.18%, referred to as YieldBoost, highlighting the potential attractiveness of this investment strategy.
- Call Option Returns: The $60.00 call option has a current bid of 87 cents, and if an investor buys EQT shares at $55.16 and sells this contract, they could achieve a total return of 10.35% if the stock is called away at expiration, showcasing the potential profitability of this strategy.
- Risk and Reward Trade-off: The $60.00 call option has a 64% chance of expiring worthless, in which case the investor retains both the shares and the premium collected, with an annualized return of 11.52%, further emphasizing the investment flexibility when EQT stock appreciates.
See More
