Vermilion Energy (NYSE:VET) Shares Down 5.9% – Here’s What Happened

Vermilion Energy Inc. (NYSE:VET) (TSE:VET)’s stock price was down 5.9% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $12.99 and last traded at $12.9730. Approximately 352,371 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 2,358,264 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.78.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Vermilion Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vermilion Energy in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. ATB Cormark Capital Markets upgraded shares of Vermilion Energy from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 27th. TD Securities restated a “hold” rating on shares of Vermilion Energy in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Vermilion Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $15.00.

Vermilion Energy Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.84. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $11.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.26. The firm has a market cap of $1.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.19 and a beta of 0.61.

Vermilion Energy (NYSE:VET) (TSE:VET) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.33. Vermilion Energy had a positive return on equity of 3.80% and a negative net margin of 34.30%.The firm had revenue of $334.64 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $384.74 million. Equities research analysts expect that Vermilion Energy Inc. will post 0.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Vermilion Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $0.135 per share. This is a boost from Vermilion Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $0.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.2%. Vermilion Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -12.75%.

Institutional Trading of Vermilion Energy

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VET. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its holdings in shares of Vermilion Energy by 12.2% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 11,846 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $99,000 after purchasing an additional 1,289 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its holdings in Vermilion Energy by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 26,209 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $218,000 after purchasing an additional 1,430 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in Vermilion Energy by 18.9% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 9,249 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 1,471 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC grew its position in Vermilion Energy by 14.8% in the 3rd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 12,989 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $102,000 after purchasing an additional 1,671 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank grew its position in Vermilion Energy by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 31,730 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $265,000 after purchasing an additional 1,720 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 31.91% of the company’s stock.

Vermilion Energy Company Profile

Vermilion Energy Inc is a Canadian-based international oil and gas producer headquartered in Calgary, Alberta. Established in 1994, the company focuses on the exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas reserves through its wholly owned and joint venture assets. Vermilion’s upstream operations target a balance of oil and gas projects across various regions, with an emphasis on high-quality resource plays that can deliver stable cash flow and long-term reserves replacement.

Vermilion’s product portfolio includes light and medium crude oil, heavy oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs).