Feb 19 (Reuters) - U.S. natural gas producers' stock prices soared on Wednesday after some firms released positive quarterly earnings and gas futures NGc1 prices jumped about 27% over the past seven days to a near two-year high.
Extreme cold in recent days boosted U.S. gas futures NGc1 to $4.242 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) by midday on Wednesday, putting the front-month within a couple of cents of the two-year closing high of $4.258 hit on January 16. NGA/
The jump in gas futures helped boost the stock of Devon Energy DVN.N, which reported earnings on February 18, by around 11% to a near three-month high of $38.58 per share by midday on Wednesday.
Devon said total revenue from sales of oil, gas, midstream and natural gas liquids was $4.4 billion, a 6% increase over the prior-year quarter, primarily due to the higher oil production and higher NGLs and gas pricing.
Shares of Comstock Resources CRK.N, which also released earnings on February 18, jumped by about 10% by midday Wednesday to a three-week high of $20.89.
Shares of several other gas producers also gained around 3% each, including Range Resources RRC.N, Antero Resources AR.N and EQT EQT.N, the nation's second biggest gas producer.
EQT shares were trading around $55.56 at midday, putting the stock on track for its highest close since 2014. EQT also released earnings on Tuesday.
Neal Dingmann of Truist Securities said EQT shares rose on better than expected organic activity as compression and other factors pushed organic production up.
Antero shares, meanwhile, were trading around $40.75, putting the stock on track for its highest close since September 2022.
Shares of Expand Energy EXE.O, the nation's biggest gas producer, were up about 2% to around $108.52, putting the stock on track for its highest close on record, according to LSEG data going back to February 2021 when Chesapeake Energy exited bankruptcy protection.
Expand, which will report earnings on February 26, was formed by the merger of Chesapeake Energy and Southwestern Energy in October 2024.
(Reporting by Scott DiSavino in New York and Seher Dareen in Bengaluru; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
((scott.disavino@thomsonreuters.com; +1 332 219 1922; Reuters Messaging: scott.disavino.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
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