EQT anticipates that the 2026 natgas output will be in line with the 2025 exit rate

EQT Corp, a U.S. energy company, said Wednesday that it expected to maintain natural-gas production in 2026 at levels comparable with its exit rate for 2025. This is due to lower sales forecasts for the current quarter.

At midday, shares of the Pennsylvania-based firm were down 3.8%.

The company anticipates a total sales volume between 550 and 600 billion cubic foot equivalents (Bcfe) for the fourth quarter. This is lower than the 634 Bcfe of the third quarter.

It also includes the impact from 15 to 20 Bcfe in strategic curtailments made during October as EQT continues to optimize its pricing around in-basin volatility.

Gabriele Sorbara is an analyst at Siebert Williams Shank & Co. She said, "We think some short-term pressure on prices could be felt due to the disappointing fourth quarter guidance."

The company has also lowered its forecast for the full year sales volume to between 2,325 to 2,375 Bcfe, down from its previous outlook of 2,300 - 2,400 Bcfe.

EQT executives said on a call after earnings that they expect capital expenditures for maintenance to fall towards $2 billion by the end of this decade due to improvements in their operations.

(Reporting by Pooja Menon and Dharna Bafna in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel) The company said it had made significant progress on the in-basin projects announced last quarter, and that they are seeing new opportunities to provide gas supply and infrastructure in Appalachia to meet the growth of the load. (Reporting and editing by Maju Samuel in Bengaluru, Dharna Baffna and Pooja Meon from Bengaluru)

(source: Reuters)