Viper Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:VNOM) Shares Sold by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP lowered its position in shares of Viper Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:VNOM - Free Report) by 21.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 331,019 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 91,388 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.16% of Viper Energy worth $16,243,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Viper Energy by 43.9% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 701 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Viper Energy by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 25,323 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $1,243,000 after acquiring an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Viper Energy by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 14,396 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $706,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares during the period. Andina Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Viper Energy by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Andina Capital Management LLC now owns 12,924 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $634,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fulcrum Equity Management increased its position in Viper Energy by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Fulcrum Equity Management now owns 9,543 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $430,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.72% of the company's stock.

Viper Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VNOM traded up $0.43 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $41.95. The stock had a trading volume of 206,957 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,286,200. Viper Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $34.71 and a fifty-two week high of $56.76. The company has a quick ratio of 7.24, a current ratio of 7.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The company has a market cap of $8.94 billion, a PE ratio of 17.99 and a beta of 1.23. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $41.99 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $47.78.

Viper Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th were paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. This is a positive change from Viper Energy's previous dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 6th. Viper Energy's payout ratio is presently 32.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on VNOM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $72.00 price objective on shares of Viper Energy in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Viper Energy from $51.00 to $48.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Viper Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Viper Energy from $60.00 to $57.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their target price on Viper Energy from $78.00 to $68.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $57.15.

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.