KeyCorp Forecasts Viper Energy's Q1 Earnings (NASDAQ:VNOM)

Key Points

• KeyCorp raised its Q1 2026 EPS estimate for Viper Energy to $0.75 (from $0.51) and lifted FY2026 to $3.34 and FY2027 to $2.95 while maintaining an Overweight rating and a $65 price target.
• Viper recently beat quarterly expectations with EPS of $0.31 versus $0.27 and revenue of $435M (up 87.6% YoY), though the company reported a negative net margin.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend to $0.38 (annualized $1.52, ~3.2% yield); analysts' consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $53.33 and institutional investors hold roughly 87.7% of the stock.

Viper Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:VNOM - Free Report) - Equities researchers at KeyCorp lifted their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Viper Energy in a report issued on Wednesday, April 1st. KeyCorp analyst T. Rezvan now expects that the oil and gas producer will earn $0.75 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.51. KeyCorp currently has a "Overweight" rating and a $65.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for Viper Energy's current full-year earnings is $2.02 per share. KeyCorp also issued estimates for Viper Energy's Q2 2026 earnings at $0.94 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.84 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.81 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $3.34 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.75 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.74 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.72 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.74 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $2.95 EPS.

Viper Energy (NASDAQ:VNOM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $435.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $415.51 million. Viper Energy had a positive return on equity of 2.62% and a negative net margin of 4.87%.The business's revenue was up 87.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.04 EPS.

VNOM has been the topic of several other reports. Wall Street Zen raised Viper Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Mizuho upped their price target on Viper Energy from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Viper Energy from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. TD Securities upped their price target on Viper Energy from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Viper Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $53.33.

Viper Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VNOM stock traded up $0.55 on Tuesday, hitting $46.86. 611,127 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,277,054. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 3.72 and a quick ratio of 3.72. The company has a market capitalization of $16.75 billion, a PE ratio of -203.75, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.50. Viper Energy has a 1-year low of $35.10 and a 1-year high of $49.08. The company's fifty day moving average is $44.83 and its 200 day moving average is $40.34.

Viper Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 5th were given a $0.38 dividend. This is a boost from Viper Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 5th. Viper Energy's dividend payout ratio is -660.87%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Viper Energy

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Oaktree Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Viper Energy in the third quarter worth $240,215,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Viper Energy by 28.0% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,906,846 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $646,180,000 after purchasing an additional 3,699,141 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its stake in shares of Viper Energy by 18.7% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 12,423,354 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $474,821,000 after purchasing an additional 1,957,417 shares in the last quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Viper Energy by 452.4% in the third quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC now owns 1,661,991 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $63,521,000 after purchasing an additional 1,361,130 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Encompass Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Viper Energy in the fourth quarter worth $52,087,000. 87.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Viper Energy News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Viper Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp raised FY2026 and FY2027 profit forecasts substantially — FY2026 EPS to $3.34 (from $2.23) and FY2027 EPS to $2.95 (from $2.47). Analyst T. Rezvan kept an Overweight rating and a $65 target, which provides a clear catalyst for demand for the shares. MarketBeat: KeyCorp raises FY estimates
• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp upped 2026 quarterly forecasts — Q1 2026 to $0.75 (from $0.51), Q2 2026 to $0.94 (from $0.54), Q3 2026 to $0.84 (from $0.57) and Q4 2026 to $0.81 (from $0.61). These raises signal stronger near‑term cash flow expectations versus prior assumptions. MarketBeat: KeyCorp raises 2026 quarters
• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp also lifted 2027 quarterly estimates — Q1 2027 to $0.75 (from $0.61), Q2 2027 to $0.74 (from $0.60), Q3 2027 to $0.72 (from $0.61) and Q4 2027 to $0.74 (from prior). The repeated upward revisions across periods suggest the analyst sees durable tailwinds for Viper’s asset cash flows. MarketBeat: KeyCorp raises 2027 quarters
• Neutral Sentiment: Why this matters: higher analyst EPS and an unchanged $65 target give investors a valuation anchor and a reason for the stock to trade up, but VNOM remains exposed to commodity price swings and production/royalty variability — monitor oil prices, upcoming company results and distribution policy for follow‑through. MarketBeat: Analyst note

Viper Energy Company Profile

Viper Energy Partners LP is a publicly traded master limited partnership that owns and intends to acquire mineral and royalty interests in oil and natural gas properties. As a pass-through entity, Viper Energy Partners does not engage in drilling or production operations directly; instead, it generates revenues by holding overriding royalty interests, mineral fee interests and royalty fee interests. These interests entitle the partnership to receive a percentage of the proceeds from hydrocarbons produced and sold by third-party operators.

The partnership's assets are concentrated in the Permian Basin, with a primary focus on the Delaware Basin region of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico.

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