Viper Energy (NASDAQ:VNOM) Downgraded to “Sell” Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Viper Energy (NASDAQ:VNOM) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Tuesday morning.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on VNOM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Viper Energy from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Viper Energy from $37.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 8th. TD Securities upped their price objective on shares of Viper Energy from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Roth Mkm increased their price target on shares of Viper Energy from $46.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Viper Energy from $54.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $51.25.

Viper Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ VNOM opened at $54.45 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $48.98 and its 200-day moving average is $43.31. The company has a quick ratio of 7.06, a current ratio of 7.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market cap of $9.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.37 and a beta of 1.72. Viper Energy has a 12-month low of $28.55 and a 12-month high of $56.08.

Viper Energy (NASDAQ:VNOM) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $209.59 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $210.54 million. Viper Energy had a net margin of 24.65% and a return on equity of 6.99%. Viper Energy’s revenue was down 28.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.10 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Viper Energy will post 2.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Viper Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 14th. Viper Energy’s payout ratio is presently 51.50%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Viper Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VNOM. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Viper Energy in the first quarter worth approximately $537,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets purchased a new position in shares of Viper Energy in the first quarter worth approximately $8,506,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Viper Energy by 94.4% during the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 4,158 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $160,000 after purchasing an additional 2,019 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Viper Energy by 458.2% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 76,032 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $2,924,000 after purchasing an additional 62,411 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Viper Energy by 61.9% during the first quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 14,536 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $559,000 after purchasing an additional 5,556 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.72% of the company’s stock.

Viper Energy Company Profile

Viper Energy, Inc owns and acquires mineral and royalty interests in oil and natural gas properties in the Permian Basin, North America. Viper Energy Partners GP LLC operates as the general partner of the company. The company was formerly known as Viper Energy Partners LP and changed its name to Viper Energy, Inc in November 2023.