Viper Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:VNOM) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Viper Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:VNOM) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,860,000 shares, a growth of 42.4% from the June 30th total of 2,710,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 918,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.2 days.

Viper Energy Stock Down 1.9 %

Viper Energy stock traded down $0.82 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $41.48. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 224,482 shares, compared to its average volume of 940,607. Viper Energy has a fifty-two week low of $26.71 and a fifty-two week high of $43.29. The company has a quick ratio of 3.46, a current ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company has a market cap of $7.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.55 and a beta of 1.74. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $38.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $36.84.

Viper Energy (NASDAQ:VNOM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.15. Viper Energy had a return on equity of 8.10% and a net margin of 24.24%. The company had revenue of $205.39 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $200.63 million. On average, research analysts expect that Viper Energy will post 1.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Viper Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a None dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.9%. This is a boost from Viper Energy’s previous None dividend of $0.56. Viper Energy’s payout ratio is 39.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on VNOM. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Viper Energy from $37.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 8th. TD Securities raised their price target on Viper Energy from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Truist Financial raised their price target on Viper Energy from $53.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Barclays began coverage on Viper Energy in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $44.00 price target for the company. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price target on Viper Energy from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $42.71.

Institutional Trading of Viper Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VNOM. Chilton Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Viper Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $63,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Viper Energy by 22.2% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 3,013 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $95,000 after purchasing an additional 547 shares in the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Viper Energy by 26.7% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 3,230 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $101,000 after purchasing an additional 680 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Viper Energy by 94.4% during the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 4,158 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $160,000 after purchasing an additional 2,019 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sandia Investment Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Viper Energy during the first quarter worth about $192,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.72% of the company’s stock.

About Viper Energy

Viper Energy, Inc owns and acquires mineral and royalty interests in oil and natural gas properties in the Permian Basin, North America. Viper Energy Partners GP LLC operates as the general partner of the company. The company was formerly known as Viper Energy Partners LP and changed its name to Viper Energy, Inc in November 2023.