Sentry Investment Management LLC Reduces Stock Position in Viper Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:VNOM)

Sentry Investment Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Viper Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:VNOM) by 27.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,855 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 3,306 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Viper Energy were worth $435,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of VNOM. Raymond James & Associates boosted its holdings in shares of Viper Energy by 41.9% in the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 145,693 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $6,572,000 after acquiring an additional 42,999 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new position in Viper Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $144,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Viper Energy by 7,251.2% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 71,454 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $3,223,000 after purchasing an additional 70,482 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in Viper Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,268,000. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new stake in shares of Viper Energy during the third quarter valued at about $528,000. Institutional investors own 87.72% of the company’s stock.

Viper Energy Price Performance

Shares of Viper Energy stock opened at $47.31 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.08 billion, a PE ratio of 20.30 and a beta of 1.71. The company has a current ratio of 7.24, a quick ratio of 7.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Viper Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $34.45 and a 12 month high of $56.76. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $49.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $49.54.

Viper Energy (NASDAQ:VNOM) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 24th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.01. Viper Energy had a return on equity of 6.72% and a net margin of 24.65%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Viper Energy, Inc. will post 2.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Viper Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 6th. This is a positive change from Viper Energy’s previous dividend of $0.22. Viper Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on VNOM shares. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Viper Energy from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Viper Energy from $43.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of Viper Energy from $78.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America assumed coverage on Viper Energy in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $64.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and set a $58.00 target price (down from $64.00) on shares of Viper Energy in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.55.

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.