Viper Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:VNOM) Short Interest Down 14.8% in February

Viper Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:VNOM) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 6,200,000 shares, a decline of 14.8% from the February 13th total of 7,280,000 shares. Approximately 2.9% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,610,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.9 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on VNOM shares. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $58.00 price target (down from $64.00) on shares of Viper Energy in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Viper Energy from $45.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Viper Energy in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $64.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $72.00 price target on shares of Viper Energy in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Viper Energy in a research note on Friday, March 14th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $51.00 price target for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Viper Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.00.

Viper Energy Trading Up 0.4 %

NASDAQ:VNOM opened at $45.37 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 7.24 and a quick ratio of 7.24. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $47.24 and a 200-day moving average of $49.08. The company has a market cap of $9.67 billion, a PE ratio of 19.47 and a beta of 1.69. Viper Energy has a one year low of $35.46 and a one year high of $56.76.

Viper Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th were given a $0.65 dividend. This is an increase from Viper Energy’s previous dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 6th. Viper Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.70%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Viper Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VNOM. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Viper Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $95,505,000. State Street Corp grew its position in Viper Energy by 78.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,833,257 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $172,918,000 after purchasing an additional 1,682,183 shares in the last quarter. Yaupon Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Viper Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $18,044,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new stake in Viper Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $19,469,000. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Viper Energy by 20.3% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,309,425 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $113,324,000 after purchasing an additional 389,473 shares in the last quarter. 87.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Viper Energy

Viper Energy, Inc engages in the acquisition of oil and natural gas properties. It owns, acquires, and exploits oil and natural gas properties in North America. The company was founded on February 27, 2014 and is headquartered in Midland, TX.