LM Asset IM Inc. Purchases Shares of 2,000,000 Vermilion Energy Inc. (NYSE:VET)

LM Asset IM Inc. bought a new stake in Vermilion Energy Inc. (NYSE:VET - Free Report) TSE: VET in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,000,000 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $18,806,000. Vermilion Energy makes up approximately 17.2% of LM Asset IM Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. LM Asset IM Inc. owned approximately 1.30% of Vermilion Energy at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in Vermilion Energy by 10.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 586,529 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $5,514,000 after buying an additional 55,443 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Vermilion Energy by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,066,063 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $57,100,000 after buying an additional 86,425 shares in the last quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC increased its holdings in Vermilion Energy by 26.1% in the fourth quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 1,109,501 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $10,429,000 after buying an additional 229,900 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Vermilion Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $761,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Vermilion Energy by 267.2% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 159,556 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,498,000 after purchasing an additional 116,102 shares in the last quarter. 31.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vermilion Energy Trading Up 0.2%

VET stock traded up $0.01 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $6.57. The stock had a trading volume of 1,124,533 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,206,712. The firm has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a PE ratio of -1.76 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.19. Vermilion Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $5.14 and a 12-month high of $12.56. The company's 50-day moving average price is $6.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $8.40.

Vermilion Energy (NYSE:VET - Get Free Report) TSE: VET last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The oil and gas company reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.17 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $395.26 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $569.00 million. Vermilion Energy had a positive return on equity of 6.29% and a negative net margin of 41.53%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vermilion Energy Inc. will post 0.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vermilion Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a $0.0903 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.50%. This is a boost from Vermilion Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.09. Vermilion Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -225.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on VET shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Vermilion Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 15th. Desjardins lowered Vermilion Energy from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. National Bankshares reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Vermilion Energy in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Atb Cap Markets lowered Vermilion Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold".

Vermilion Energy Company Profile

Vermilion Energy Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of petroleum and natural gas. The company has properties in West Central Alberta, southeast Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and West Pembina in Canada; Wyoming in the United States; southwest Bordeaux and Paris Basin in France; the Netherlands; Germany; Ireland; Croatia; Slovakia; and Australia.