Vermilion Energy (TSE:VET) Trading Down 13.8% on Analyst Downgrade

Vermilion Energy Inc. (TSE:VET) (NYSE:VET)’s share price fell 13.8% on Thursday after CIBC lowered their price target on the stock from C$17.00 to C$14.00. The stock traded as low as C$7.83 and last traded at C$8.01. 1,567,002 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 102% from the average session volume of 776,429 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$9.29.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on VET. ATB Capital cut their price objective on Vermilion Energy from C$20.00 to C$17.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 30th. TD Securities dropped their price objective on Vermilion Energy from C$18.00 to C$17.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Vermilion Energy from C$17.00 to C$16.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 30th. Desjardins downgraded Vermilion Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the company from C$19.00 to C$14.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, National Bankshares upped their price objective on shares of Vermilion Energy from C$18.00 to C$19.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Vermilion Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of C$16.75.

Vermilion Energy Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of C$1.24 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -0.02 and a beta of 2.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 35.61, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The firm’s 50 day moving average is C$11.62 and its 200 day moving average is C$13.02.

Vermilion Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Vermilion Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. Vermilion Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently -9.03%.

About Vermilion Energy

Vermilion Energy Inc is an international oil and gas producing company. It engages in full-cycle exploration and production programs that focus on the acquisition, exploration, development, and optimization of producing properties in North America, Europe, and Australia. The majority of Vermilion’s revenue has derived from the production and sale of petroleum and natural gas.