Zacks Research Has Positive Outlook for FANG FY2028 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Diamondback Energy (FANG) to a Strong-Buy and raised its FY2028 EPS estimate to $14.43 (from $14.23), also adding the stock to its Rank #1 list.
• Several firms have lifted targets and ratings, leaving a consensus price target of $208.05 and an average Buy rating while the stock trades near that level (~$205.63).
• Diamondback missed the latest quarter (EPS $1.74 vs. $2.00 expected; revenue down ~9% YoY), and insiders sold roughly $201M of shares last quarter as insiders now hold just 0.64% of the stock.

Diamondback Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:FANG - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Zacks Research lifted their FY2028 EPS estimates for Diamondback Energy in a report released on Thursday, April 30th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the oil and natural gas company will post earnings of $14.43 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $14.23. Zacks Research currently has a "Strong-Buy" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Diamondback Energy's current full-year earnings is $19.02 per share.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Susquehanna boosted their price target on Diamondback Energy from $182.00 to $199.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Truist Financial started coverage on Diamondback Energy in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. They set a "buy" rating and a $222.00 price objective on the stock. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Diamondback Energy from $196.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Freedom Capital raised Diamondback Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on Diamondback Energy from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $208.05.

Diamondback Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FANG opened at $205.63 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $57.85 billion, a PE ratio of 36.65 and a beta of 0.50. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $187.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $164.12. Diamondback Energy has a one year low of $127.75 and a one year high of $206.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.42.

Diamondback Energy (NASDAQ:FANG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The oil and natural gas company reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.00 by ($0.26). The company had revenue of $3.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.41 billion. Diamondback Energy had a net margin of 11.07% and a return on equity of 8.08%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.67 EPS.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FANG. Cresset Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Diamondback Energy by 37.5% in the second quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 4,726 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock valued at $649,000 after acquiring an additional 1,288 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Diamondback Energy during the second quarter worth $2,301,000. Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Diamondback Energy by 13.5% during the second quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 51,104 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock worth $7,022,000 after purchasing an additional 6,069 shares in the last quarter. AXA S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Diamondback Energy by 8.5% during the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 52,355 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock valued at $7,194,000 after purchasing an additional 4,103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Diamondback Energy by 37.1% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 154,582 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock valued at $21,239,000 after purchasing an additional 41,866 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.01% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Diamondback Energy

In other Diamondback Energy news, major shareholder Fang Holdings Lp Sgf sold 1,000,000 shares of Diamondback Energy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.88, for a total value of $162,880,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 98,686,727 shares in the company, valued at $16,074,094,093.76. The trade was a 1.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman Travis D. Stice sold 63,957 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.16, for a total transaction of $11,586,450.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 305,314 shares of the company's stock, valued at $55,310,684.24. This represents a 17.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 1,217,069 shares of company stock worth $201,213,109. Company insiders own 0.64% of the company's stock.

Diamondback Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 5th were given a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 5th. This is a positive change from Diamondback Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. Diamondback Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 74.87%.

Key Diamondback Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded FANG from "Hold" to "Strong-Buy" and nudged its FY2028 EPS estimate to $14.43 (from $14.23), signaling improved analyst conviction. Zacks.com Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks added FANG to its Rank #1 (Strong Buy) list, increasing institutional attention and buy-side visibility. New Strong Buy Stocks for April 30th
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentators point to Diamondback as a likely beneficiary of higher crude after the UAE’s exit from OPEC/OPEC+, arguing low-cost Permian operators like FANG could capture near-term margin upside. Barchart: Diamondback Could Be the Smartest Bet
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple previews and analyst notes are flagging FANG’s upcoming Q1 results as a key near-term catalyst — the quarter will test whether production, realized prices and costs validate the bullish narrative amid volatile oil markets. Gear Up for Diamondback Q1 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader sector pieces and bullish theses (including retail commentary) are circulating that advance a longer-term constructive case on valuation and Permian footprint, but they hinge on sustained oil prices and execution. Is Diamondback a Good Stock To Buy Now?

Diamondback Energy Company Profile

Diamondback Energy, Inc NASDAQ: FANG is an independent oil and natural gas company focused on the development, exploration and production of unconventional resources in the Permian Basin. Headquartered in Midland, Texas, the company concentrates its operations in the core Midland and Delaware sub‑basins of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, where it pursues contiguous acreage positions to support repeatable drilling programs.

Diamondback's activities span the upstream value chain, including leasehold acquisition, well planning, drilling, completion and production optimization.

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.