Sapience Investments LLC Decreases Holdings in Viper Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:VNOM)

Sapience Investments LLC cut its holdings in shares of Viper Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:VNOM - Free Report) by 14.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 47,257 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 7,780 shares during the quarter. Sapience Investments LLC's holdings in Viper Energy were worth $2,319,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Viper Energy by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,094,960 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $495,360,000 after purchasing an additional 239,404 shares in the last quarter. FIL Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Viper Energy by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 3,964,130 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $194,520,000 after buying an additional 310,890 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Viper Energy by 20.3% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,309,425 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $113,324,000 after acquiring an additional 389,473 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Viper Energy during the fourth quarter worth $95,505,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Viper Energy by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,733,745 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $85,102,000 after acquiring an additional 35,084 shares in the last quarter. 87.72% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Viper Energy Trading Down 0.5%

VNOM traded down $0.20 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $40.26. 324,031 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,307,702. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.58 billion, a PE ratio of 17.26 and a beta of 1.05. Viper Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $34.71 and a 52-week high of $56.76. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $41.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.77. The company has a quick ratio of 7.24, a current ratio of 7.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Viper Energy (NASDAQ:VNOM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.09. Viper Energy had a net margin of 24.65% and a return on equity of 6.72%. The business had revenue of $245.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $233.99 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.49 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Viper Energy, Inc. will post 2.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Viper Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.98%. Viper Energy's payout ratio is presently 31.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Evercore ISI reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $49.00 price objective on shares of Viper Energy in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Barclays dropped their price target on Viper Energy from $60.00 to $57.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Viper Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Viper Energy from $51.00 to $48.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Raymond James set a $52.00 target price on shares of Viper Energy in a report on Monday, April 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $56.08.

About Viper Energy

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.