Matador Resources (NYSE:MTDR) Stock Rating Cut to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Matador Resources (NYSE:MTDR) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Mizuho raised shares of Matador Resources to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group increased their target price on Matador Resources from $56.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, September 14th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on Matador Resources from $68.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. Seaport Research Partners assumed coverage on Matador Resources in a research note on Thursday, September 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Matador Resources from $77.00 to $76.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Matador Resources has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $66.81.

Matador Resources Stock Up 6.9%

Matador Resources stock opened at $57.47 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.11 billion, a PE ratio of 9.86 and a beta of 0.98. Matador Resources has a twelve month low of $37.14 and a twelve month high of $66.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company has a 50 day moving average of $55.91 and a 200-day moving average of $55.32.

Matador Resources (NYSE:MTDR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The energy company reported $2.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.53. Matador Resources had a net margin of 19.85% and a return on equity of 13.18%. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.53 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 32.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Matador Resources will post 7.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Matador Resources Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th were paid a $0.3750 dividend. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. Matador Resources’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.73%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Joseph Foran acquired 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $52.16 per share, for a total transaction of $521,600.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 25,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,336,182.72. This trade represents a 64.03% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP William Elsener acquired 850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $50.94 per share, for a total transaction of $43,299.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president owned 114,879 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,851,936.26. This represents a 0.75% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have purchased 23,144 shares of company stock valued at $1,211,793 in the last 90 days. 5.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Matador Resources

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in shares of Matador Resources by 935.4% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 56,096 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $2,824,000 after acquiring an additional 50,678 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Matador Resources during the 2nd quarter worth about $605,000. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Matador Resources during the 2nd quarter worth about $3,682,000. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Matador Resources in the 2nd quarter valued at about $573,936,000. Finally, Morningstar Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Matador Resources in the 1st quarter valued at about $2,630,000. 91.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Matador Resources News

Here are the key news stories impacting Matador Resources this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Truist raised its price target to $65, indicating additional upside from recent trading levels and reinforcing its constructive view of Matador Resources. Truist lifts target for Matador Resources stock to USD 65.00
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley increased its target from $66 to $69 while maintaining an “equal weight” rating. The higher valuation target suggests improved expectations, despite the firm’s neutral stance. Morgan Stanley raises Matador Resources price target
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo issued a “buy” rating on MTDR, adding another bullish analyst endorsement and potentially supporting investor sentiment. Wells Fargo issues a buy rating on Matador Resources
• Neutral Sentiment: Scotiabank initiated coverage with a “sector perform” rating and a $59 target. The target implies limited upside and indicates the bank expects Matador to perform broadly in line with its industry peers. Scotiabank initiates coverage on Matador Resources
• Negative Sentiment: A separate Wells Fargo report presented a pessimistic stock-price forecast, creating conflicting signals with the firm’s reported buy rating. This inconsistency could increase uncertainty around the near-term analyst outlook. Wells Fargo issues pessimistic forecast for Matador Resources

About Matador Resources

Matador Resources Company is an independent energy company engaged in the exploration, development, production and acquisition of oil and natural gas properties. Its operations are focused primarily on unconventional, or shale, formations, with oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids among its principal products.

The company’s main exploration and production activities are concentrated in the Delaware Basin, part of the Permian Basin in southeastern New Mexico and West Texas. Matador has also historically held interests in other U.S.