Zacks Research Expects Higher Earnings for Viper Energy

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised its Q1 2026 EPS estimate for Viper Energy to $0.36 (from $0.28) and lifted FY2026 to $1.74 and FY2027 to $1.42, signaling stronger expected profitability over the next two years.
• Analyst consensus remains bullish—one Strong Buy, fifteen Buy and one Hold give VNOM an overall "Buy" rating and an average price target of $54.47.
• Viper recently beat quarterly EPS estimates ($0.31 vs. $0.27), reported revenue up 87.6% year‑over‑year, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.38 (annualized $1.52, ~3.3% yield).

Viper Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:VNOM - Free Report) - Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for Viper Energy in a research report issued on Thursday, April 16th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the oil and gas producer will earn $0.36 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.28. The consensus estimate for Viper Energy's current full-year earnings is $2.02 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Viper Energy's Q2 2026 earnings at $0.39 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.58 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.41 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $1.74 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.37 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.44 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $1.42 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $1.03 EPS.

Viper Energy (NASDAQ:VNOM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.04. Viper Energy had a negative net margin of 4.87% and a positive return on equity of 2.62%. The firm had revenue of $435.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $415.51 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.04 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 87.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on VNOM. TD Securities increased their price target on shares of Viper Energy from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Viper Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $55.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, April 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Viper Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Viper Energy from $60.00 to $54.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Viper Energy from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $54.47.

Viper Energy Stock Performance

VNOM opened at $45.40 on Monday. Viper Energy has a 52-week low of $35.10 and a 52-week high of $49.08. The company has a quick ratio of 3.72, a current ratio of 3.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The company has a market cap of $16.23 billion, a P/E ratio of -197.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.50. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $45.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $40.79.

Institutional Trading of Viper Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Viper Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new stake in Viper Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Viper Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its stake in Viper Energy by 503.3% in the 3rd quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,086 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 906 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC grew its stake in Viper Energy by 68.3% in the 3rd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,400 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 568 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.72% of the company's stock.

Viper Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 5th were given a dividend of $0.38 per share. This is a boost from Viper Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 5th. Viper Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -660.87%.

Viper Energy News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Viper Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple near‑term and medium‑term EPS estimates for VNOM (notably lifting FY2026 to $1.74 and FY2027 to $1.42), implying stronger expected profitability over the next two years — this is a positive fundamental catalyst for the stock. Viper Energy Q2 EPS Estimate Increased by Zacks Research
• Positive Sentiment: Independent analyst consensus remains bullish: VNOM has been given an average "Buy" recommendation by analysts, supporting demand interest from institutional and retail investors. Viper Energy Inc. NASDAQ: VNOM Given Average Recommendation of "Buy" by Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks trimmed its FY2028 EPS estimate slightly (to $1.03 from $1.06). The revision is small and likely has limited immediate impact compared with the larger 2026–2027 upgrades.
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the upgrades, VNOM traded down on higher‑than‑average volume today, suggesting short‑term selling pressure — likely profit‑taking after recent gains or sensitivity to broader oil/market moves that can outweigh company‑specific upgrades in the near term.

Viper Energy Company Profile

Viper Energy Partners LP is a publicly traded master limited partnership that owns and intends to acquire mineral and royalty interests in oil and natural gas properties. As a pass-through entity, Viper Energy Partners does not engage in drilling or production operations directly; instead, it generates revenues by holding overriding royalty interests, mineral fee interests and royalty fee interests. These interests entitle the partnership to receive a percentage of the proceeds from hydrocarbons produced and sold by third-party operators.

The partnership's assets are concentrated in the Permian Basin, with a primary focus on the Delaware Basin region of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico.

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