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

LM Asset IM Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vermilion Energy Inc. (NYSE:VET - Free Report) TSE: VET in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. 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 investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. LM Asset IM Inc. owned approximately 1.30% of Vermilion Energy at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its position in shares of Vermilion Energy by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 27,221 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $256,000 after buying an additional 1,179 shares during the period. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Vermilion Energy by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 108,088 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,015,000 after acquiring an additional 2,046 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Vermilion Energy by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 80,484 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $765,000 after acquiring an additional 3,668 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Vermilion Energy by 1,123.6% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 4,356 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 4,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Vermilion Energy by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 49,257 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $463,000 after purchasing an additional 4,676 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 31.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VET has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Atb Cap Markets cut shares of Vermilion Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Desjardins lowered shares of Vermilion Energy from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. National Bankshares reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Vermilion Energy in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Vermilion Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Vermilion Energy Stock Performance

NYSE VET traded up $0.09 on Thursday, reaching $6.64. The stock had a trading volume of 611,718 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,203,862. Vermilion Energy Inc. has a 1-year low of $5.14 and a 1-year high of $12.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The company has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.77 and a beta of 1.12. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $6.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $8.39.

Vermilion Energy (NYSE:VET - Get Free Report) TSE: VET last issued 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 analyst estimates of $569.00 million. Vermilion Energy had a negative net margin of 41.53% and a positive return on equity of 6.29%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Vermilion Energy Inc. will post 0.22 EPS for the current year.

Vermilion Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.0903 per share. This is a positive change from Vermilion Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.09. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. Vermilion Energy's payout ratio is currently -225.00%.

About Vermilion Energy

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.