GeoSphere Capital Management LLC Buys New Position in Matador Resources (NYSE:MTDR)

GeoSphere Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Matador Resources (NYSE:MTDR - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 38,000 shares of the energy company's stock, valued at approximately $2,138,000. Matador Resources makes up 1.0% of GeoSphere Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Matador Resources by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,555,553 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $706,375,000 after buying an additional 187,633 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Matador Resources by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,444,723 shares of the energy company's stock worth $306,313,000 after acquiring an additional 30,184 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in shares of Matador Resources by 25.9% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,698,606 shares of the energy company's stock worth $151,824,000 after acquiring an additional 555,245 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of Matador Resources by 18.4% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,669,957 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $93,952,000 after purchasing an additional 258,958 shares during the period. Finally, LSV Asset Management boosted its position in shares of Matador Resources by 262.0% during the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,517,308 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $85,364,000 after purchasing an additional 1,098,108 shares in the last quarter. 91.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MTDR has been the subject of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on Matador Resources from $70.00 to $62.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Raymond James lowered their price target on shares of Matador Resources from $77.00 to $67.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Matador Resources from $65.00 to $61.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Matador Resources in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $47.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Matador Resources from $84.00 to $68.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $70.33.

Matador Resources Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MTDR opened at $42.73 on Friday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $44.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $52.58. Matador Resources has a 52-week low of $35.19 and a 52-week high of $66.89. The company has a market cap of $5.35 billion, a PE ratio of 5.98 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

Matador Resources (NYSE:MTDR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The energy company reported $1.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $980.87 million. Matador Resources had a net margin of 25.26% and a return on equity of 18.52%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 28.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.71 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Matador Resources will post 8.53 EPS for the current year.

Matador Resources Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a dividend of $0.3125 per share. This represents a $1.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.93%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Matador Resources's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.78%.

Matador Resources declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, April 23rd that authorizes the company to buyback $400.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the energy company to purchase up to 7.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Matador Resources

In related news, insider Van H. Singleton II acquired 2,000 shares of Matador Resources stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $53.21 per share, for a total transaction of $106,420.00. Following the purchase, the insider now directly owns 289,135 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,384,873.35. This trade represents a 0.70 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Paul W. Harvey bought 600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were bought at an average price of $55.20 per share, for a total transaction of $33,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 27,917 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,541,018.40. This represents a 2.20 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have bought 36,200 shares of company stock valued at $1,701,872. 6.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Matador Resources

Matador Resources Company, an independent energy company, engages in the exploration, development, production, and acquisition of oil and natural gas resources in the United States. It operates through two segments, Exploration and Production; and Midstream. The company primarily holds interests in the Wolfcamp and Bone Spring plays in the Delaware Basin in Southeast New Mexico and West Texas.

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