Viper Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:VNOM) Shares Sold by Comerica Bank

Comerica Bank lowered its position in shares of Viper Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:VNOM) by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 30,246 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 1,411 shares during the quarter. Comerica Bank’s holdings in Viper Energy were worth $1,484,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Viper Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Viper Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in Viper Energy by 321.7% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 679 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 518 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Viper Energy by 43.9% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 701 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares during the period. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Viper Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.72% of the company’s stock.

Viper Energy Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of VNOM opened at $40.56 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 7.24, a quick ratio of 7.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm has a market cap of $8.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.41 and a beta of 1.05. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $41.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $47.30. Viper Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $34.71 and a 12-month high of $56.76.

Viper Energy (NASDAQ:VNOM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $245.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $233.99 million. Viper Energy had a net margin of 24.65% and a return on equity of 6.72%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.49 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Viper Energy, Inc. will post 2.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Viper Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Viper Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VNOM has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $49.00 target price on shares of Viper Energy in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $72.00 price target on shares of Viper Energy in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Mizuho started coverage on Viper Energy in a report on Monday, March 31st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $56.00 price objective on the stock. KeyCorp reduced their target price on Viper Energy from $62.00 to $56.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Viper Energy from $51.00 to $48.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $56.31.

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.