Zacks Research Has Pessimistic Outlook of FANG Q1 Earnings

Diamondback Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:FANG) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Diamondback Energy in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, March 9th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the oil and natural gas company will post earnings of $1.46 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.99. The consensus estimate for Diamondback Energy’s current full-year earnings is $15.49 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Diamondback Energy’s Q2 2026 earnings at $1.15 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.76 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.34 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $6.71 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.84 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.33 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $9.47 EPS.

FANG has been the subject of several other reports. Benchmark downgraded Diamondback Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $173.00 target price on shares of Diamondback Energy in a report on Monday, January 19th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Diamondback Energy in a report on Monday, December 29th. Barclays lifted their price target on Diamondback Energy from $178.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Diamondback Energy from $194.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $189.00.

Diamondback Energy Price Performance

FANG stock opened at $178.37 on Wednesday. Diamondback Energy has a one year low of $114.00 and a one year high of $186.65. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $162.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $151.81. The company has a current ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.31 billion, a PE ratio of 31.80 and a beta of 0.59.

Diamondback Energy (NASDAQ:FANG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The oil and natural gas company reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.00 by ($0.26). The firm had revenue of $3.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.41 billion. Diamondback Energy had a net margin of 11.07% and a return on equity of 8.08%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.67 earnings per share.

Diamondback Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 5th will be paid a dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. This is a positive change from Diamondback Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 5th. Diamondback Energy’s payout ratio is presently 74.87%.

Insider Activity at Diamondback Energy

In other Diamondback Energy news, Director Charles Alvin Meloy sold 60,605 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.12, for a total value of $9,764,677.60. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 982,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $158,220,806.72. This trade represents a 5.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Fang Holdings Lp Sgf sold 1,000,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.88, for a total value of $162,880,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 98,686,727 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,074,094,093.76. The trade was a 1.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 1,160,605 shares of company stock worth $190,757,794 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Diamondback Energy

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in Diamondback Energy by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 38,871 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $5,844,000 after purchasing an additional 2,036 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its position in shares of Diamondback Energy by 16.3% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 338,577 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $50,890,000 after purchasing an additional 47,450 shares during the period. Tulsa Wealth Advisors INC acquired a new stake in Diamondback Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $973,000. Tobam boosted its stake in Diamondback Energy by 3,426.7% in the 4th quarter. Tobam now owns 6,595 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $991,000 after purchasing an additional 6,408 shares during the period. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Diamondback Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $206,000. Institutional investors own 90.01% of the company’s stock.

Diamondback Energy News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Diamondback Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Energy sector tailwind — oil prices topped $100 and energy names rallied earlier in the week, which can support Diamondback’s fundamentals if prices sustain. These Stocks Are Today’s Movers: Chevron, Hims & Hers, Carnival, Delta, Newmont, Vertiv, and More
• Negative Sentiment: Large secondary offering priced — SGF FANG Holdings priced an underwritten sale of 11,000,000 Diamondback shares for roughly $1.9B; Diamondback will not receive proceeds and the deal is expected to close March 12. The added supply from a major holder is the primary near‑term negative catalyst. Diamondback Energy Announces Pricing of Secondary Common Stock Offering
• Negative Sentiment: Market coverage and headlines highlight the offering and broader ownership moves, amplifying selling pressure and investor focus on dilution and post‑merger capital allocation. Diamondback Energy dips as SGF FANG Holdings prices 11M share public offering at $1.9B
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — Chairman Travis D. Stice disclosed combined sales of 100,000 shares in early March at ~\$181 per share, reducing insider ownership materially and reinforcing supply concerns for some investors. SEC Form 4 – Travis D. Stice
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst estimate cuts — Zacks reduced near‑term EPS forecasts (Q1/Q2 2027) modestly, adding downward pressure on sentiment amid the supply news and softer commodity dynamics. Diamondback Energy (FANG) Registers a Bigger Fall Than the Market
• Negative Sentiment: Broader investor analysis flags the combination of the large secondary, insider sales and weaker oil/gas near‑term pricing as a possible change to the investment case, increasing uncertainty around ownership and capital allocation. Is Diamondback’s Large Secondary Share Sale And Insider Selling Altering The Investment Case For FANG?

About Diamondback Energy

Diamondback Energy, Inc (NASDAQ: FANG) is an independent oil and natural gas company focused on the development, exploration and production of unconventional resources in the Permian Basin. Headquartered in Midland, Texas, the company concentrates its operations in the core Midland and Delaware sub‑basins of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, where it pursues contiguous acreage positions to support repeatable drilling programs.

Diamondback’s activities span the upstream value chain, including leasehold acquisition, well planning, drilling, completion and production optimization.