GW&K Investment Management LLC Buys 283,628 Shares of Viper Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:VNOM)

GW&K Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Viper Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:VNOM - Free Report) by 36.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,072,101 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after buying an additional 283,628 shares during the period. GW&K Investment Management LLC owned 0.50% of Viper Energy worth $48,405,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Viper Energy during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in Viper Energy by 129.0% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 735 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 414 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. bought a new position in Viper Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $34,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Viper Energy by 100.0% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Viper Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Institutional investors own 87.72% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on VNOM. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Viper Energy from $57.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Viper Energy from $50.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 price target (up from $54.00) on shares of Viper Energy in a research note on Thursday, June 5th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Viper Energy from $53.00 to $50.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, KeyCorp cut their price target on shares of Viper Energy from $62.00 to $56.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $57.46.

Viper Energy Trading Up 0.4%

VNOM traded up $0.15 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $37.73. 1,242,428 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,415,732. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 8.70 and a current ratio of 8.70. Viper Energy Inc. has a one year low of $34.71 and a one year high of $56.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.93, a PEG ratio of 17.43 and a beta of 0.97. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $39.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $43.10.

Viper Energy (NASDAQ:VNOM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $245.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $233.99 million. Viper Energy had a return on equity of 5.41% and a net margin of 43.43%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.49 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Viper Energy Inc. will post 2.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Viper Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.18%. Viper Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 31.58%.

Viper Energy Profile

Viper Energy, Inc engages in the acquisition of oil and natural gas properties. It owns, acquires, and exploits oil and natural gas properties in North America. The company was founded on February 27, 2014 and is headquartered in Midland, TX.