Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Estimate for FANG Earnings

Diamondback Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:FANG) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research lowered their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Diamondback Energy in a note issued to investors on Monday, March 9th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the oil and natural gas company will post earnings per share of $1.46 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.99. The consensus estimate for Diamondback Energy’s current full-year earnings is $15.49 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Diamondback Energy’s Q2 2026 earnings at $1.15 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.76 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.34 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $6.71 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.84 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.33 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $9.47 EPS.

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

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on FANG. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Diamondback Energy from $194.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Diamondback Energy from $180.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Benchmark lowered shares of Diamondback Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Diamondback Energy from $182.00 to $199.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Diamondback Energy from $183.00 to $171.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $189.00.

Diamondback Energy Stock Down 2.5%

Shares of NASDAQ FANG opened at $178.37 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $50.31 billion, a PE ratio of 31.80 and a beta of 0.59. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $162.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $151.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Diamondback Energy has a 12-month low of $114.00 and a 12-month high of $186.65.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Diamondback Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of FANG. Savant Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Diamondback Energy by 78.3% during the second quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 15,178 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $2,086,000 after purchasing an additional 6,665 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Diamondback Energy in the second quarter worth $1,113,000. Wedbush Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Diamondback Energy by 32.8% during the 2nd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 3,587 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $493,000 after buying an additional 885 shares during the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its position in Diamondback Energy by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 10,144 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $1,394,000 after buying an additional 237 shares during the period. Finally, AE Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Diamondback Energy by 13.7% during the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 29,328 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $4,030,000 after purchasing an additional 3,545 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.01% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Diamondback Energy news, Director Charles Alvin Meloy sold 60,605 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.12, for a total value of $9,764,677.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 982,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $158,220,806.72. The trade was a 5.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman Travis D. Stice sold 36,043 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $181.08, for a total transaction of $6,526,666.44. Following the sale, the chairman owned 123,745 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,407,744.60. The trade was a 22.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,160,605 shares of company stock valued at $190,757,794. Corporate insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Diamondback Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 5th will be paid a $1.05 dividend. This is a positive change from Diamondback Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 5th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Diamondback Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 74.87%.

Key Diamondback Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Energy sector tailwind — oil prices topped $100 and energy names rallied earlier in the week, which can support Diamondback’s fundamentals if prices sustain. These Stocks Are Today’s Movers: Chevron, Hims & Hers, Carnival, Delta, Newmont, Vertiv, and More
• Negative Sentiment: Large secondary offering priced — SGF FANG Holdings priced an underwritten sale of 11,000,000 Diamondback shares for roughly $1.9B; Diamondback will not receive proceeds and the deal is expected to close March 12. The added supply from a major holder is the primary near‑term negative catalyst. Diamondback Energy Announces Pricing of Secondary Common Stock Offering
• Negative Sentiment: Market coverage and headlines highlight the offering and broader ownership moves, amplifying selling pressure and investor focus on dilution and post‑merger capital allocation. Diamondback Energy dips as SGF FANG Holdings prices 11M share public offering at $1.9B
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — Chairman Travis D. Stice disclosed combined sales of 100,000 shares in early March at ~\$181 per share, reducing insider ownership materially and reinforcing supply concerns for some investors. SEC Form 4 – Travis D. Stice
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst estimate cuts — Zacks reduced near‑term EPS forecasts (Q1/Q2 2027) modestly, adding downward pressure on sentiment amid the supply news and softer commodity dynamics. Diamondback Energy (FANG) Registers a Bigger Fall Than the Market
• Negative Sentiment: Broader investor analysis flags the combination of the large secondary, insider sales and weaker oil/gas near‑term pricing as a possible change to the investment case, increasing uncertainty around ownership and capital allocation. Is Diamondback’s Large Secondary Share Sale And Insider Selling Altering The Investment Case For FANG?

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.