Vermilion Energy Inc. (TSE:VET) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Shares of Vermilion Energy carry a consensus analyst rating of Hold from seven firms (five holds, two buys) with an average 12‑month target of C$16.94, and several brokers have recently raised targets (RBC C$22, National Bank C$18.50).
• The company increased its quarterly dividend to $0.135 (annualized $0.54), a ~3.4% yield, up from the prior quarterly payment of $0.13.
• Insiders have recently reduced positions—Yvonne Jeffery sold 6,332 shares at C$19.51 and Gerard Schut sold 10,000 at C$19.00—and insiders now own only 0.16% of the stock.

Shares of Vermilion Energy Inc. (TSE:VET - Get Free Report) NYSE: VET have received a consensus rating of "Hold" from the seven research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is C$16.94.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on VET shares. National Bank Financial raised their price objective on shares of Vermilion Energy from C$14.50 to C$18.50 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Vermilion Energy from C$14.00 to C$15.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Desjardins lifted their price objective on shares of Vermilion Energy from C$13.50 to C$16.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. TD Securities cut shares of Vermilion Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from C$14.00 to C$16.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Vermilion Energy from C$15.00 to C$22.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th.

Vermilion Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VET stock opened at C$15.72 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of C$16.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$13.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 58.60. The company has a market capitalization of C$2.40 billion, a PE ratio of -3.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -0.02 and a beta of 0.30. Vermilion Energy has a 12-month low of C$8.17 and a 12-month high of C$20.31.

Vermilion Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.135 per share. This represents a $0.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. This is a boost from Vermilion Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. Vermilion Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -12.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Yvonne Jeffery sold 6,332 shares of Vermilion Energy stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of C$19.51, for a total transaction of C$123,537.32. Following the transaction, the insider owned 30,527 shares in the company, valued at approximately C$595,581.77. The trade was a 17.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Also, insider Gerard Schut sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$19.00, for a total transaction of C$190,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 94,268 shares in the company, valued at approximately C$1,791,092. The trade was a 9.59% decrease in their position. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Vermilion Energy Company Profile

Vermilion Energy Inc is an international oil and gas producing company. It engages in full-cycle exploration and production programs that focus on the acquisition, exploration, development, and optimization of producing properties in North America, Europe, and Australia. The majority of Vermilion's revenue has derived from the production and sale of petroleum and natural gas. In each market, the company relies on a host of drilling and well completion techniques to keep production at attractive levels.

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