Vermilion Energy (NYSE:VET) Cut to “Sell” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vermilion Energy (NYSE:VET) (TSE:VET) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note published on Saturday.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on VET. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Vermilion Energy in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vermilion Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Scotiabank reiterated a “sector perform” rating on shares of Vermilion Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Desjardins downgraded shares of Vermilion Energy from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Vermilion Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Vermilion Energy Stock Up 2.2%

NYSE VET opened at $8.72 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $8.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $8.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm has a market cap of $1.34 billion, a PE ratio of -7.93 and a beta of 0.69. Vermilion Energy has a 52 week low of $5.14 and a 52 week high of $10.31.

Vermilion Energy (NYSE:VET) (TSE:VET) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The oil and gas company reported ($0.02) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.04 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $337.28 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $373.83 million. Vermilion Energy had a negative net margin of 12.08% and a negative return on equity of 1.90%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Vermilion Energy will post 0.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Vermilion Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.0%. Vermilion Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -33.64%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vermilion Energy

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of Vermilion Energy by 317.5% during the 2nd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 1,974,742 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $14,423,000 after acquiring an additional 1,501,741 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in Vermilion Energy by 22.7% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 7,512,118 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $58,745,000 after purchasing an additional 1,388,489 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Vermilion Energy by 19.5% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,863,101 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $30,173,000 after purchasing an additional 631,655 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in Vermilion Energy by 51.4% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,630,488 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $13,207,000 after purchasing an additional 553,281 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Vermilion Energy by 77.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,245,537 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $9,068,000 after purchasing an additional 542,352 shares during the last quarter. 31.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Vermilion Energy

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).