Spark Investment Management LLC Buys New Position in Vermilion Energy Inc. $VET

Spark Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vermilion Energy Inc. (NYSE:VET) (TSE:VET) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 277,000 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,305,000. Vermilion Energy accounts for approximately 5.7% of Spark Investment Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Spark Investment Management LLC owned about 0.18% of Vermilion Energy at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in Vermilion Energy by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 8,214,261 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $64,161,000 after purchasing an additional 359,878 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in Vermilion Energy by 22.7% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 7,512,118 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $58,745,000 after purchasing an additional 1,388,489 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Vermilion Energy by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,731,403 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $56,005,000 after purchasing an additional 73,242 shares during the period. UBS Group AG boosted its stake in Vermilion Energy by 118.2% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 5,592,890 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $46,645,000 after purchasing an additional 3,029,328 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vermilion Energy by 19.5% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,863,101 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $30,173,000 after acquiring an additional 631,655 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 31.91% of the company’s stock.

Vermilion Energy Price Performance

Shares of VET stock opened at $11.36 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $12.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $10.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. Vermilion Energy Inc. has a 12 month low of $7.00 and a 12 month high of $14.82. The company has a market capitalization of $1.74 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.97 and a beta of 0.30.

Vermilion Energy (NYSE:VET) (TSE:VET) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The oil and gas company reported ($0.67) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by ($0.89). Vermilion Energy had a negative return on equity of 2.40% and a negative net margin of 43.49%.The company had revenue of $369.04 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $368.66 million. As a group, equities analysts expect that Vermilion Energy Inc. will post 0.54 EPS for the current year.

Vermilion Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.135 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $0.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.8%. Vermilion Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently -10.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on VET shares. Zacks Research downgraded Vermilion Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. ATB Cormark Capital Markets upgraded Vermilion Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 27th. TD Securities reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Vermilion Energy in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Scotiabank reiterated a “sector perform” rating on shares of Vermilion Energy in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Vermilion Energy from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $15.00.

Vermilion Energy Company Profile

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).