Diamondback Energy (NASDAQ:FANG) Sets New 12-Month High on Analyst Upgrade

Diamondback Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:FANG)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday after Zacks Research upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating. The company traded as high as $205.87 and last traded at $204.1390, with a volume of 1119270 shares. The stock had previously closed at $200.06.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Diamondback Energy from $215.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Diamondback Energy from $220.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $200.00 price target (up from $180.00) on shares of Diamondback Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of Diamondback Energy from $182.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Diamondback Energy from $187.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $208.05.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Diamondback Energy news, Director Charles Alvin Meloy sold 60,605 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the director owned 982,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $158,220,806.72. This trade represents a 5.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Steven E. West sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.35, for a total transaction of $1,130,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,484 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $844,561.40. This represents a 57.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,217,069 shares of company stock valued at $201,213,109. Corporate insiders own 0.64% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Diamondback Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: UAE exits OPEC, weakening cartel coordination and boosting crude prices; higher oil improves revenue and cash-flow outlook for low-cost Permian producers like Diamondback. The UAE’s OPEC Exit Changes the Oil Trade — Here’s the Stock to Buy Now
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary flags Diamondback as a near-term beneficiary of the OPEC shock given its low-cost Permian position, supporting upside if oil stays elevated above $100/bbl. Following UAE’s OPEC Exit Shock, Diamondback Energy Could Be the Smartest Bet Now
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded FANG to a “Strong-Buy” and added it to its Zacks Rank #1 list, citing model/estimate improvements that can draw investor interest and momentum buying. Zacks.com
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2028 EPS estimate for Diamondback, indicating analyst bullishness on longer-term earnings power (FY2028 EPS revised to $14.43). Is Diamondback Stock Worth Buying Before Q1 Earnings Release?
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple earnings previews (Zacks, Yahoo) highlight Q1 as a pivotal test for FANG — metrics beyond headline revenue/earnings (volume, hedges, unit costs) will drive the read-through. Investors are positioning ahead of the May 4 report. Gear Up for Diamondback (FANG) Q1 Earnings: Wall Street Estimates for Key Metrics
• Negative Sentiment: Consensus sees Q1 revenue down roughly 5–6% year-over-year; a miss or weaker commodity realization could pressure the stock despite hedges and higher volumes. This is a near-term execution risk around the upcoming report. Is Diamondback Stock Worth Buying Before Q1 Earnings Release?

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators grew its position in Diamondback Energy by 31.7% in the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 274 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Scotia Capital Inc. grew its position in Diamondback Energy by 0.3% in the third quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. now owns 19,719 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $2,822,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co. grew its position in Diamondback Energy by 0.7% in the third quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 10,030 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $1,435,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Diamondback Energy by 3.0% in the third quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,568 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $367,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. Finally, Townsend & Associates Inc grew its position in Diamondback Energy by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Townsend & Associates Inc now owns 14,330 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $2,161,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.01% of the company’s stock.

Diamondback Energy Stock Up 1.0%

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $187.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $164.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.01 and a beta of 0.50. 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 (NASDAQ:FANG) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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). Diamondback Energy had a net margin of 11.07% and a return on equity of 8.08%. The company had revenue of $3.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.67 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Diamondback Energy, Inc. will post 19.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Diamondback Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 5th were issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 5th. This is a boost from Diamondback Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Diamondback Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 74.87%.

About Diamondback Energy

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.