Vermilion Energy (NYSE:VET) Shares Gap Down - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Shares gapped down about 13.1% — VET opened at $12.50 after closing at $13.63 and last traded near $12.09 on heavy volume, with the 50‑day/200‑day moving averages at $12.43 and $10.03 respectively.
• Quarterly results showed an anomalous EPS of $999.00 — the report states this beat the $0.22 consensus by $998.78, though the company still reported a negative net margin of 34.3% and the analyst consensus remains a “Hold” with a $15 price target.
• Dividend was raised — the quarterly payout increased to $0.135 (annualized $0.54), implying a ~4.6% yield.

Vermilion Energy Inc. (NYSE:VET - Get Free Report) TSE: VET's share price gapped down before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $13.63, but opened at $12.50. Vermilion Energy shares last traded at $12.0860, with a volume of 584,142 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VET has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. ATB Cormark Capital Markets raised Vermilion Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Vermilion Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Scotiabank reiterated a "sector perform" rating on shares of Vermilion Energy in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. TD Securities reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Vermilion Energy in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Vermilion Energy from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $15.00.

Vermilion Energy Stock Down 13.1%

The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $12.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $10.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The company has a market capitalization of $1.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.87 and a beta of 0.36.

Vermilion Energy (NYSE:VET - Get Free Report) TSE: VET last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The oil and gas company reported $999.00 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $998.78. Vermilion Energy had a negative net margin of 34.30% and a positive return on equity of 3.80%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Vermilion Energy Inc. will post 0.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vermilion Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a $0.135 dividend. This is a positive change from Vermilion Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $0.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.6%. Vermilion Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -13.07%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vermilion Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vermilion Energy by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 8,214,261 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $64,161,000 after acquiring an additional 359,878 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in Vermilion Energy by 22.7% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 7,512,118 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $58,745,000 after purchasing an additional 1,388,489 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Vermilion Energy by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,731,403 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $56,005,000 after purchasing an additional 73,242 shares during the period. UBS Group AG grew its position in Vermilion Energy by 118.2% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 5,592,890 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $46,645,000 after purchasing an additional 3,029,328 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Vermilion Energy by 19.5% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,863,101 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $30,173,000 after purchasing an additional 631,655 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 31.91% of the company's stock.

About Vermilion Energy

Vermilion Energy Inc is a Canadian-based international oil and gas producer headquartered in Calgary, Alberta. Established in 1994, the company focuses on the exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas reserves through its wholly owned and joint venture assets. Vermilion's upstream operations target a balance of oil and gas projects across various regions, with an emphasis on high-quality resource plays that can deliver stable cash flow and long-term reserves replacement.

Vermilion's product portfolio includes light and medium crude oil, heavy oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.