Viper Energy (NASDAQ:VNOM) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to "Sell"

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Viper Energy (NASDAQ:VNOM - Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday morning.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 price objective (up previously from $54.00) on shares of Viper Energy in a research note on Thursday, June 5th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Viper Energy from $53.00 to $50.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. TD Securities raised their price objective on Viper Energy from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Viper Energy from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on Viper Energy from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Viper Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $57.00.

Viper Energy Stock Down 0.2%

Viper Energy stock traded down $0.09 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $38.59. 1,855,936 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,374,973. Viper Energy has a one year low of $34.71 and a one year high of $56.76. The company has a market cap of $11.13 billion, a PE ratio of 10.16, a PEG ratio of 19.49 and a beta of 1.00. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $40.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $44.61. The company has a current ratio of 8.70, a quick ratio of 8.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

Viper Energy (NASDAQ:VNOM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.09. Viper Energy had a return on equity of 5.41% and a net margin of 43.43%. The business had revenue of $245.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $233.99 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.49 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Viper Energy will post 2.02 EPS for the current year.

Viper Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.11%. Viper Energy's payout ratio is 31.58%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Viper Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Viper Energy by 28.9% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,016,792 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $587,708,000 after acquiring an additional 2,921,832 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Viper Energy by 12.2% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 11,953,910 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $539,719,000 after purchasing an additional 1,301,933 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of Viper Energy by 21.6% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 9,996,351 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $451,336,000 after purchasing an additional 1,778,093 shares during the last quarter. FIL Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Viper Energy by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 3,964,130 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $194,520,000 after purchasing an additional 310,890 shares during the period. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Viper Energy by 19.1% in the first quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,751,660 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $124,238,000 after buying an additional 442,235 shares during the last quarter. 87.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.