QEP Upgraded To Overweight As Near-Term Catalysts Increase

Simmons & Company's Kashy Harrison upgraded QEP Resources Inc (NYSE: QEP) to Overweight from Neutral and raised the price target from $20.00 to $24.00.

Harrison believed the company is undervalued and estimated that QEP "will deliver oil production growth of 8 percent above peers (CRZO, NFX, SM, WLL, WPX)." The analyst raised his price target due to increases in location count in South Antelope from 278 to 400 and increased Spraberry EUR's to 900 Mboe from 650 Mboe.

Related Link: Rig Counts May Have Bottomed, According To Goldman Sachs

Main Catalysts

• Incremental well results in the Permian
• Down spacing in Williston
• Potential bolt-on acquisitions in the Permian and/or Williston
• Cost reductions across the company's portfolio

Recent Performance

QEP is up 41.64 percent year-to-date, and up 47.25 percent over the three-month period.

The stock is down 52.41 percent over the five-year period.

QEP closed Tuesday trading slightly down (0.05 percent) at $18.98.