EQT Corporation ($EQT) $167.5M Investor Settlement
EQT Corporation ($EQT) has agreed to settle $167.5 million with investors to resolve claims that it misled investors about the benefits from its Rice Energy acquisition.
Outline:
EQT Corporation announced the acquisition of Rice Energy as a strategic expansion of its shale operations. Investors later alleged the company overstated the operational efficiencies and financial synergies expected from the transaction. After operational challenges and performance issues emerged, the stock declined, and investors filed suit. EQT later agreed to a $167.5 million settlement to resolve the claims.
Timeline:
June 19, 2017: EQT announced plans to acquire Rice Energy and projected significant operational synergies.
November 9, 2017: Shareholders of EQT and Rice Energy approved the acquisition.
June 17, 2019: Investors alleged that operational challenges and synergy shortfalls had become apparent.
June 25, 2019: Investors filed a securities class action lawsuit regarding the acquisition.
May 12, 2025: The parties agreed to a $167.5 million settlement
Background:
EQT Corporation is a U.S. natural gas producer focused on shale drilling operations in the Appalachian Basin. In 2017, the company announced plans to acquire Rice Energy in a transaction intended to expand its production capacity and improve operational efficiency.
EQT told investors the combined company would benefit from longer lateral drilling wells and significant cost savings. The company projected that the merger could generate billions of dollars in operational synergies.
After the acquisition closed, the company experienced operational difficulties and struggled to achieve some of the projected performance improvements. Analysts and former Rice Energy executives publicly questioned EQT’s execution and integration strategy.
Investors later alleged that EQT’s projections about drilling performance and operational synergies were misleading. Following these developments and the stock’s decline, shareholders filed a securities class action lawsuit.
What Can Investors Expect Now?
EQT Corporation agreed to a $167.5 million settlement with $EQT investors to resolve claims that it misled them about the expected benefits of its acquisition of Rice Energy.
If you were damaged due to this situation, you can file for a payout and get your share of the settlement. You can check if you are eligible and other details in the FAQ section.
Frequently Asked Questions
All persons and entities who: (i) purchased EQT common stock during the period from June 19, 2017 through June 17, 2019, inclusive; (ii) held EQT common stock as of September 25, 2017 and were entitled to vote on EQT’s acquisition of Rice Energy, Inc.; (iii) held Rice Energy, Inc. common stock as of September 21, 2017 and were entitled to vote on the acquisition; or (iv) received EQT common stock in exchange for Rice Energy common stock in connection with EQT’s acquisition of Rice, and were damaged thereby.
No, if you have purchased securities within the class period, you are eligible to participate.
You can participate in the settlement and retain (or sell) your securities.
The entire process usually takes 4 to 9 months after the claim deadline. But the exact timing depends on the court and settlement administration.
The final payout amount depends on your specific trades and the number of investors participating in the settlement.
If 100% of investors file their claims - the average payout will be $0.54 per share. Although typically only 25% of investors file claims, in this case, the average recovery will be $2.16 per share.
If you're eligible, you can file your claim directly from this case page by clicking the "Collect Payout" button.
More than 100 companies are currently paying out settlements. Connect your brokerage account to automatically check which ones you may have missed — or file manually for this case.
11th.com is an investor recovery company that helps investors track and collect securities class action settlements. We will:
1. Prepare documents for your payout.
2. Audit the claim and make sure you get the maximum possible payout.
3. File a claim with the settlement administration.
4. Correspond with the settlement administration to resolve emerging issues.
5. Deliver payout directly to your brokerage account.
There is no upfront cost, but we will deduct 20% of the recovered amount as a commission for our services.