Viper Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:VNOM) Receives Consensus Rating of "Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Viper Energy Inc. has received an average consensus rating of "Buy" from sixteen research firms covering its stock, with a 12-month target price of $55.80.
• The company reported $0.41 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding expectations, with revenues of $297 million, showing a 37.1% increase from the previous year.
• Viper Energy recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.53, yielding 5.4%, while maintaining a dividend payout ratio of 38.15%.

Viper Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:VNOM - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Buy" from the sixteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $55.80.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Mizuho raised their target price on Viper Energy from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Wall Street Zen cut Viper Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 16th. William Blair began coverage on Viper Energy in a research note on Monday, August 25th. They issued an "outperform" rating for the company. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Viper Energy in a research note on Monday, August 18th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $46.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on Viper Energy from $53.00 to $50.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 23rd.

Viper Energy Trading Down 4.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:VNOM traded down $1.77 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $37.28. 2,811,349 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,438,130. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $38.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $40.31. Viper Energy has a fifty-two week low of $34.71 and a fifty-two week high of $56.76. The stock has a market cap of $10.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.77, a P/E/G ratio of 16.68 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 6.15 and a quick ratio of 6.15.

Viper Energy (NASDAQ:VNOM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.07. Viper Energy had a return on equity of 3.92% and a net margin of 37.84%.The company had revenue of $297.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $285.35 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.62 EPS. Viper Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 37.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Viper Energy will post 2.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Viper Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 14th were given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.7%. Viper Energy's payout ratio is 38.15%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. acquired a new position in Viper Energy during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of Viper Energy by 129.0% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 735 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 414 shares in the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. acquired a new position in Viper Energy in the first quarter valued at $34,000. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new position in Viper Energy in the first quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in Viper Energy by 48.7% in the second quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,068 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.72% of the company's stock.

Viper Energy Company 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.