Brokerages Set Vermilion Energy Inc. (TSE:VET) Target Price at C$19.00

Vermilion Energy Inc. (TSE:VET) (NYSE:VET) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is C$19.29.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VET. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Vermilion Energy from C$22.00 to C$24.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. TD Securities downgraded Vermilion Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from C$14.00 to C$16.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Desjardins increased their price objective on Vermilion Energy from C$13.50 to C$16.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. ATB Cormark Capital Markets raised Vermilion Energy from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from C$16.00 to C$24.00 in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, National Bank Financial reduced their price objective on Vermilion Energy from C$30.00 to C$27.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 7th.

Vermilion Energy Trading Down 2.3%

TSE:VET opened at C$16.93 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.73. Vermilion Energy has a 1-year low of C$8.63 and a 1-year high of C$20.31. The firm has a market capitalization of C$2.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -0.02 and a beta of 0.53. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of C$17.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of C$14.40.

Vermilion Energy (TSE:VET) (NYSE:VET) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported C($0.95) earnings per share for the quarter. Vermilion Energy had a negative net margin of 44.92% and a negative return on equity of 33.68%. The company had revenue of C$519.13 million during the quarter. Sell-side analysts forecast that Vermilion Energy will post 1.3956262 earnings per share for the current year.

Vermilion Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a $0.135 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $0.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. This is an increase from Vermilion Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. Vermilion Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -9.91%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Gerard Schut sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$19.00, for a total value of C$190,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 94,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately C$1,791,092. This represents a 9.59% decrease in their position. Also, insider Yvonne Jeffery sold 6,332 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of C$19.51, for a total value of C$123,537.32. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 30,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately C$595,581.77. This represents a 17.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Vermilion Energy

Vermilion Energy Inc is an international oil and gas producing company. It engages in full-cycle exploration and production programs that focus on the acquisition, exploration, development, and optimization of producing properties in North America, Europe, and Australia. The majority of Vermilion’s revenue has derived from the production and sale of petroleum and natural gas. In each market, the company relies on a host of drilling and well completion techniques to keep production at attractive levels.