ONE Gas (NYSE:OGS) Shares Up 2.2% - Still a Buy?

ONE Gas, Inc. (NYSE:OGS - Get Free Report) was up 2.2% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $75.29 and last traded at $75.35. Approximately 86,624 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 77% from the average daily volume of 375,147 shares. The stock had previously closed at $73.73.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised ONE Gas to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Bank of America began coverage on ONE Gas in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "buy" rating and a $77.00 price objective for the company. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on ONE Gas from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of ONE Gas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of ONE Gas from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $72.44.

ONE Gas Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.50, a PEG ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.66. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $72.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $72.60.

ONE Gas (NYSE:OGS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.34. The business had revenue of $630.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $973.58 million. ONE Gas had a net margin of 10.70% and a return on equity of 7.70%. On average, analysts expect that ONE Gas, Inc. will post 4.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ONE Gas Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. This is a positive change from ONE Gas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.52%. ONE Gas's dividend payout ratio is currently 68.54%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ONE Gas

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas bought a new position in shares of ONE Gas in the third quarter valued at approximately $3,135,000. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in ONE Gas in the 4th quarter valued at $203,000. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky raised its holdings in ONE Gas by 234.1% in the 3rd quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 60,976 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,539,000 after acquiring an additional 42,724 shares during the period. KBC Group NV lifted its position in ONE Gas by 41.0% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,218 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $154,000 after acquiring an additional 645 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in ONE Gas by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,354,710 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $100,836,000 after acquiring an additional 18,477 shares during the last quarter. 88.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ONE Gas Company Profile

ONE Gas, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a regulated natural gas distribution company in the United States. The company provides natural gas distribution services to approximately 2.3 million customers in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas. It serves residential, commercial, and transportation customers.