Xponance Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Viper Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:VNOM)

Xponance Inc. increased its stake in Viper Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:VNOM) by 11.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,207 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,358 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Viper Energy were worth $1,090,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VNOM. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of Viper Energy by 4,836.9% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 74,596 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $3,365,000 after buying an additional 73,085 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Viper Energy by 16.0% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,698,661 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $76,647,000 after purchasing an additional 234,048 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama purchased a new stake in shares of Viper Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $12,980,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Viper Energy by 3,200.2% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 235,307 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $10,615,000 after purchasing an additional 228,177 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Viper Energy by 103.3% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 43,962 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,982,000 after buying an additional 22,334 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.72% of the company’s stock.

Viper Energy Trading Down 2.5 %

Shares of VNOM opened at $44.23 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.42 billion, a PE ratio of 18.98 and a beta of 1.69. The company’s fifty day moving average is $47.13 and its 200 day moving average is $49.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 7.24 and a current ratio of 7.24. Viper Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $35.46 and a fifty-two week high of $56.76.

Viper Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 6th were issued a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 6th. This is an increase from Viper Energy’s previous dividend of $0.22. Viper Energy’s payout ratio is 32.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on VNOM shares. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $58.00 target price (down from $64.00) on shares of Viper Energy in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Viper Energy in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $64.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com raised Viper Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Viper Energy in a research note on Friday, March 14th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $51.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Viper Energy from $56.00 to $51.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.00.

Viper Energy Profile

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.