Vermilion Energy Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:VET)

Vermilion Energy Inc. (NYSE:VET) (TSE:VET) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Investors acquired 3,211 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 209% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,039 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on VET. Desjardins lowered Vermilion Energy from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. TD Securities reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Vermilion Energy in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Zacks Research cut shares of Vermilion Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Scotiabank reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating on shares of Vermilion Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Vermilion Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vermilion Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VET. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in shares of Vermilion Energy by 178.7% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,450 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 4,136 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in Vermilion Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $56,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vermilion Energy by 24.0% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 7,778 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 1,504 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC purchased a new position in Vermilion Energy in the second quarter valued at about $82,000. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vermilion Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $105,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 31.91% of the company’s stock.

Vermilion Energy Price Performance

NYSE:VET opened at $9.05 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $8.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $8.06. The firm has a market cap of $1.38 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.23 and a beta of 0.69. Vermilion Energy has a 52-week low of $5.14 and a 52-week high of $10.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Vermilion Energy (NYSE:VET) (TSE:VET) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The oil and gas company reported ($0.02) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.04 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $337.28 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $373.83 million. Vermilion Energy had a negative net margin of 12.08% and a negative return on equity of 1.90%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Vermilion Energy will post 0.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vermilion Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were given a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.7%. Vermilion Energy’s payout ratio is -33.64%.

About Vermilion Energy

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).