Diamondback Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:FANG) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Diamondback Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:FANG) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-three ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $214.17.

A number of brokerages recently commented on FANG. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Diamondback Energy in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $227.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Diamondback Energy from $219.00 to $207.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. Barclays upgraded Diamondback Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $216.00 to $210.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Johnson Rice downgraded Diamondback Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Susquehanna cut their price target on Diamondback Energy from $237.00 to $233.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 18th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Diamondback Energy

In other news, Director Mark Lawrence Plaumann sold 1,150 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.00, for a total transaction of $208,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,712 shares in the company, valued at $852,872. The trade was a 19.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Diamondback Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FANG. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in Diamondback Energy by 247.3% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 191 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Diamondback Energy during the third quarter worth about $42,000. CVA Family Office LLC grew its position in Diamondback Energy by 28.1% during the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 296 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group increased its stake in Diamondback Energy by 109.7% during the second quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group now owns 260 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Diamondback Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Institutional investors own 90.01% of the company’s stock.

Diamondback Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Diamondback Energy stock opened at $180.18 on Friday. Diamondback Energy has a 12 month low of $147.93 and a 12 month high of $214.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The stock has a market cap of $52.61 billion, a PE ratio of 10.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.88. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $170.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $183.08.

Diamondback Energy (NASDAQ:FANG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The oil and natural gas company reported $3.38 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.62 by ($1.24). The business had revenue of $2.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.43 billion. Diamondback Energy had a return on equity of 13.68% and a net margin of 33.64%. The company’s revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $5.49 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Diamondback Energy will post 16.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Diamondback Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th were given a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.00%. Diamondback Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.61%.

Diamondback Energy Company Profile

Diamondback Energy, Inc, an independent oil and natural gas company, acquires, develops, explores, and exploits unconventional, onshore oil and natural gas reserves in the Permian Basin in West Texas. It focuses on the development of the Spraberry and Wolfcamp formations of the Midland basin; and the Wolfcamp and Bone Spring formations of the Delaware basin, which are part of the Permian Basin in West Texas and New Mexico.