Equitable Trust Co. Boosts Holdings in Diamondback Energy, Inc. $FANG

Key Points

• Equitable Trust Co. raised its stake in Diamondback Energy by 350.9% in Q4, adding 35,199 shares to hold 45,229 shares valued at about $6.80 million.
• Diamondback topped Q1 estimates (EPS $4.23, revenue $4.24B), boosted 2026 production guidance and raised the quarterly dividend to $1.10, while analysts have lifted targets and the stock has a consensus Buy rating (avg. target ~$209.95).

Equitable Trust Co. grew its holdings in shares of Diamondback Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:FANG - Free Report) by 350.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 45,229 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock after acquiring an additional 35,199 shares during the quarter. Equitable Trust Co.'s holdings in Diamondback Energy were worth $6,799,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Diamondback Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Diamondback Energy by 245.1% during the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 176 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Diamondback Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Diamondback Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Diamondback Energy by 106.3% during the third quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 198 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. 90.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Charles Alvin Meloy sold 7,857 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.93, for a total transaction of $1,523,708.01. Following the sale, the director owned 958,435 shares in the company, valued at approximately $185,869,299.55. The trade was a 0.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Matt Zmigrosky sold 4,101 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.51, for a total transaction of $781,281.51. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 56,392 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,743,239.92. This trade represents a 6.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 156,464 shares of company stock worth $28,568,431. 0.64% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on FANG. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Diamondback Energy from $190.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Diamondback Energy from $215.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Diamondback Energy from $240.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Diamondback Energy from $187.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $242.00 target price on shares of Diamondback Energy in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $209.95.

Diamondback Energy Stock Performance

Shares of FANG opened at $206.15 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.42 and a quick ratio of 0.40. Diamondback Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $127.75 and a one year high of $214.51. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $188.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $164.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.99 billion, a PE ratio of 239.71 and a beta of 0.46.

Diamondback Energy (NASDAQ:FANG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The oil and natural gas company reported $4.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.74 by $0.49. Diamondback Energy had a net margin of 1.87% and a return on equity of 7.71%. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.83 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.54 earnings per share. Diamondback Energy's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Diamondback Energy, Inc. will post 18.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Diamondback Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. This is a boost from Diamondback Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Diamondback Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.87%.

Diamondback Energy News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Diamondback Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and stronger revenue — Diamondback topped consensus on both EPS and revenue, driven by higher oil prices and production, supporting near-term cash generation. Reuters: Shale producer Diamondback Energy beats first-quarter profit estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Raised production guidance and dividend — Management lifted 2026 production guidance and increased the base quarterly dividend (~5%), signaling confidence in cash flow and shareholder returns. This typically supports valuation and income-focused holders. Press release: Q1 results, guidance and dividend increase
• Positive Sentiment: Macro tailwind — Management expects a Permian rig count surge (management cites up to ~30 rigs by year-end) as higher crude prices from the Iran war boost activity; higher regional activity can drive near-term production upside. Seeking Alpha: Diamondback sees Permian rig surge
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call detail and investor communication — Conference call and full transcripts are available; management explained the capital allocation shift toward organic growth as M&A opportunities wane, and provided operational detail for the guidance lift. Useful for refining short-term production and cash forecasts. Seeking Alpha: Q1 2026 earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Large impairment weighed on reported earnings — The quarter included a sizable (~$1.4B) impairment on oil and gas properties that reduced GAAP net income, which complicates headline EPS comparisons and raises questions about prior capital allocation or pricing assumptions. Yahoo: Q1 results and impairment
• Negative Sentiment: Investor pushback on growth plan — Some coverage (e.g., Barron's) notes the market reacted negatively to management's decision to accelerate production into a price spike, suggesting investors prefer returns via buybacks/dividends or worry about longer-term price impacts from faster growth. That narrative likely contributed to selling. Barron's: Diamondback boosting oil production; investors unhappy
• Negative Sentiment: Short-term profit-taking after run-up — Reports note the stock hit new highs heading into results and then pulled back as traders rotated out after the earnings-driven rally; elevated trading volume is consistent with profit-taking and re-pricing. MSN: Diamondback hiking shale output; oil stocks skid

About Diamondback Energy

Diamondback Energy, Inc NASDAQ: FANG is an independent oil and natural gas company focused on the development, exploration and production of unconventional resources in the Permian Basin. Headquartered in Midland, Texas, the company concentrates its operations in the core Midland and Delaware sub‑basins of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, where it pursues contiguous acreage positions to support repeatable drilling programs.

Diamondback's activities span the upstream value chain, including leasehold acquisition, well planning, drilling, completion and production optimization.

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