South Dakota Investment Council Purchases 24,224 Shares of Matador Resources (NYSE:MTDR)

South Dakota Investment Council increased its stake in shares of Matador Resources (NYSE:MTDR) by 10.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 261,922 shares of the energy company’s stock after acquiring an additional 24,224 shares during the quarter. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in Matador Resources were worth $14,736,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MTDR. Raymond James & Associates boosted its position in Matador Resources by 8.3% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 217,895 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $10,768,000 after purchasing an additional 16,681 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Matador Resources during the third quarter worth approximately $202,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Matador Resources by 26.8% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,685 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $133,000 after acquiring an additional 568 shares during the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Matador Resources by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 7,086 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $350,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Matador Resources by 43.4% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 10,517 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $520,000 after acquiring an additional 3,181 shares during the last quarter. 91.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Joseph Wm Foran purchased 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $55.18 per share, with a total value of $110,360.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 42,251 shares in the company, valued at $2,331,410.18. The trade was a 4.97 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP William Thomas Elsener bought 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $56.60 per share, with a total value of $45,280.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president now directly owns 102,964 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,827,762.40. The trade was a 0.78 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have bought 2,980 shares of company stock worth $165,988 in the last quarter. 6.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Matador Resources Stock Down 6.0 %

NYSE MTDR opened at $53.10 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $58.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.81. Matador Resources has a one year low of $47.15 and a one year high of $71.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.93. The company has a market cap of $6.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.44 and a beta of 3.22.

Matador Resources (NYSE:MTDR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The energy company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.88 by ($0.05). Matador Resources had a return on equity of 18.52% and a net margin of 25.26%. The business had revenue of $970.37 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $967.10 million. Research analysts anticipate that Matador Resources will post 8.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Matador Resources Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.3125 per share. This represents a $1.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This is an increase from Matador Resources’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Matador Resources’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on MTDR shares. Stephens upped their price target on shares of Matador Resources from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Matador Resources from $87.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Matador Resources from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Matador Resources in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Matador Resources from $77.00 to $71.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $75.14.

Matador Resources Profile

Matador Resources Company, an independent energy company, engages in the exploration, development, production, and acquisition of oil and natural gas resources in the United States. It operates through two segments, Exploration and Production; and Midstream. The company primarily holds interests in the Wolfcamp and Bone Spring plays in the Delaware Basin in Southeast New Mexico and West Texas.